Colin Hambrook will lead a three-year national initiative to preserve and celebrate the history of the Disability Arts movement through a digital archive, interactive timeline and podcast series.
He will serve as heritage project director for Cripping Culture: A Journey into Disability Arts Heritage.
Mr Hambrook said: “I am looking forward to revisiting the work I’ve been engaged in since I first became a trainee journalist at the London Disability Arts Forum in 1994.
“It’s been my privilege to serve the Disability Arts community since then.
“We are in imminent danger of losing our heritage as activists central to the movement are ageing and many elders have already died.
“Their memories, stories and interpretation of artworks make a critical contribution to society and disabled people’s culture.
“There’s an urgent need for Cripping Culture to digitally preserve this heritage and present it through the prism of lived experience in accessible and inclusive forms.”
The project is backed by a £249,607 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and will be delivered by Disability Arts Online (DAO), the disabled-led organisation Mr Hambrook founded in 2004.
Over the next three years, DAO will gather stories and materials from those involved in the Disability Arts movement.
These will be used to create an accessible digital archive and timeline, as well as a podcast series featuring transcripts and BSL video versions.
DAO will partner with the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive (NDACA) to build on the legacy of the UK’s first national Disability Arts archive.
Trish Wheatley, chief executive of DAO, said: “Colin’s long-serving dedication to the Disability Arts movement has built an incredible cultural record that showcases the immense creativity of disabled people.
“Cripping Culture is hugely significant for our organisation, alongside being of vital importance to the movement.
“Our accessible digital archive, interactive timeline and podcast will add to a rich tapestry of resources and bring this unique heritage to life for everyone.”
DAO will soon begin recruiting for a new artistic director, who will co-lead the organisation alongside the CEO.
