Creative Scotland has asked that all Regularly Funded Organisations should have an EDI (Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion) plan in place by 31 March 2015. Is your organisation ready?

An estimated 1 in 5 of Scotland’s population experiences a long-term activity limiting health issue or disability.  If your organisation doesn’t have a disability equality plan in place, you may be missing out. 

Due to popular demand, Culture Republic have partnered again with flip to offer these two additional half-day training sessions for cultural organisations focusing on Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion. Highly practical and intensive, there are spaces for just 14 organisations to take part (seven places in the morning, seven in the afternoon). Each participating organisation will benefit from 1:1 consultation with flip to focus in detail on their own Equalities Action Plan.

Please note: the cost of this session is £200 per organisation, covering attendance for up to 4 attendees for one of the sessions. You must reserve your place(s) using the registration form above. flip will contact you directly to arrange payment.
What to expect:

Sessions will begin with an interactive briefing from Mairi and Robert of flip, followed by a hands-on workshop including consultation sessions where you will work with your own team to develop your own plans – be they established, in progress or yet to be started. The content of the morning and afternoon sessions is identical – you only need to attend one.

Whatever stage your planning has reached, this training session will support you to identify next steps and ways of achieving these that are manageable and sustainable for your organisation.

Make the most of the session by bringing relevant colleagues and working in a team of three or four. Anyone with responsibility for policy or organisational development should attend, and all are welcome. (Please note that these sessions are not intended to train customer service staff.)

 You will:

• Explore what you need to know about legislation, language and attitudes to disability
• Learn about examples of good practice in inclusion and planning from across our sector
• Work with your team on a tailored Equality Action Plan for your organisation
• Benefit from 1:1 advice from flip, supporting you to refine and complete existing plans (n.b. plans in development must be supplied to flip for review no later than Monday 15 February, even if you plan to continue working on them prior to the event!)

Event photo by Francisco Mallo

Meet The Trainers

Robert Gale and Mairi Taylor  work together as flip – Disability Equality in the Arts. flip have many years of experience of disability equality, access to the arts and delivering training in this area.

Mairi has been working in the area of arts and access since 2003, prior to establishing flip she managed a national access project for the Federation of Scottish Theatre that saw the launch of a new national theatre guide – Access Scottish Theatre.

Mairi has experience of working with theatres, galleries and museums and with a range of audiences. In 2010 – 2012 Mairi was the Project Coordinator for engage Scotland’s access project – Everyone – and worked with galleries across Scotland to embed disability into their strategic plans. During the last 5 years working with Robert as flip, Mairi has lead on some of flip’s research and development projects including VI Scotland’s AHRC Knowledge Exchange research and the National Theatre of Scotland’s NESTA project.

Mairi also works as a producer, producing If These Spasms Could Speak ( a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a Scottish Tour and International touring), with the young company Creative Electric in Edinburgh and with disabled artists Aidan Moesby and Pum Dunbar on their Unlimited R&D commission Fragmenting the Codex.

Mairi believes that building relationships – whether with audiences, partners or collaborators – brings about real change through increased confidence and understanding.

Robert is an established figure in the Scottish arts scene, with over 14 years of experience in diverse and varied roles – including disability rights activist, actor and performer, writer, artistic director and supporter and advocate of equality of access to the arts for disabled people whether as artists or audiences.

Robert’s professional acting debut was with Theatre Workshop (Edinburgh) in‘Nothing Ever Burns Down By Itself’ in 2002 and since then has appeared in many productions and has developed his own artistic practice – most recently instigating, co-writing and performing in ‘Girl X’ for the National Theatre of Scotland, directed by Pol Heyvaert of Belgium’s Campo. In 2011 he was awarded and undertook a Creative Scotland residency which allowed him to develop ‘If These Spasms Could Speak.

A graduate of Glasgow University with an MSc (Hons) in Business & Management, Robert’s other role is as a director of flip – disability equality in the arts(http://www.flip.org.uk/) which works across Scotland to support individuals and organisations in the arts sector. Robert is also an Artistic Director of Birds of Paradise Theatre Company, Scotland’s touring company that promotes the work of disabled artists in partnership with non-disabled artists and mainstream theatre venues and companies.

If you know others who should attend, please feel free to forward an invitation or tell them about this event. 

 

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