Digital Crip Camp, a new 14-week paid programme supporting early-career D/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent producers to develop immersive narrative projects centred on accessibility, is now underway. The programme emerged from conversations between FACT Liverpool, disability arts charity DaDa, and creative practitioners within FACT’s Studio/Lab community, recognising that accessibility barriers persist in immersive production. These barriers shape not only who gets to create new work but also who can experience it. Digital Crip Camp is supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery funding in collaboration with BFI NETWORK.

With years of sector experience, former DaDa CEO Zoe Partington played a significant role in conceptualising the programme and coined its name to honour the historic Crip Camp, a pivotal site of disability activism and culture that reclaimed the term “crip” as a form of creative resistance and community building. Skills-based, boot-camp-style programmes are often short and intensive. Digital Crip Camp addresses this by incorporating rest weeks and additional bespoke support, including living access riders and tailored sessions. The evaluation framework will be co-created with participants, making it less extractive, ensuring it benefits their reflections, and providing valuable insights for arts organisations and funders.

With a focus on embedding accessibility from the earliest stages of immersive production, selected producers and artists are developing their ideas into pitch-ready proposals through masterclasses and workshops led by mentors and sector leaders.

Over three months, participants will develop skills in ideation, project management, and the use of accessible production tools. This is complemented by hands-on workshops exploring topics such as the role of open-source software amid rising living costs and reduced arts funding, and how immersive tools can be used creatively and functionally to support accessibility for both producers and audiences. The programme also includes visits to immersive exhibitions at regional galleries, where participants conduct accessibility audits and meet with exhibition teams to discuss design choices, limitations, and compromises. Additional sessions focus on audience identification, development strategies, and the adaptation of ideas, with support from one-to-one mentoring.

“Working with FACT to generate opportunities like Digital Crip Camp ensures disabled digital artists and producers are at the heart of new ways of making and that our lives are full of creativity and endless possibilities. Change happens through collaboration and understanding this has been a valuable exchange.” - Zoe Partington (Former CEO, DaDa)

"As an artist who has been supported by DaDa and FACT, I know firsthand how much of a game-changer opportunities like this can be. There is a vital need for this, and it was a pleasure to be invited back to assist with the shortlisting process. I'm so excited to see what is next for the producers involved in Digital Crip Camp." - Matt Allen (Freelance Digital Artist and Producer)

Through Digital Crip Camp, FACT is delighted to be supporting the development of 10 projects by 19 creative producers. They are: 

“Studio/Lab works closely with artists to co-design responsive and accessible development programmes. Through ongoing conversations with our community, I hear directly what artists need to support and grow their practice, as well as the barriers they still face. Access is not a luxury. It is essential to build a vibrant and sustainable arts ecology. The more we support underrepresented artists, the more expansive and interesting the work we will see.” - Josiah Worth (Studio/Lab Producer for Artist Development)