We are proud to make available the final report for our three-year Decibels project, Developing the Creative Arts for Disabled People through Digital Technologies.

This report details our work which focussed on developing creative arts for deaf and disabled people using digital technologies. The project ran from September 2021 to December 2024 and faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic - a global health emergency which particularly affected the deaf community.

Key highlights from the report include:

  • Year 1 (2021-2022): Adapting to pandemic restrictions by developing online resources, lecture series, and digital technologies suitable for distance learning while collaborating with organizations like Deafax and DEWA (Deaf Ethnic Women’s Association).
  • Year 2 (2022-2023): Resuming face-to-face activities while maintaining digital engagement, including workshops at Kingsbury Green Primary School, art sessions at the Wallace Collection, participation in the DEWA Summer festival, and adapting NHS resources for deaf, neurodiverse children.
  • Year 3 (2023-2024): Extended by four months to work with more deaf children, featuring activities like the Heathlands School for the Deaf Summer Fete (including a penguin-themed drawing activity), “Art and wellbeing” workshops at the Royal School for the Deaf in Derby, a collaborative “Speak Up” project in Doncaster, and workshops at the Wallace Collection and Hayward Gallery.

Art-making helps deaf children develop reading, writing and communication skills, while providing emotional expression outlets. Our project aimed to close the disadvantage gap that deaf children with limited access to arts-rich environments experience, while also increasing teachers’ confidence in using artistic practices with deaf students.

Throughout the project, Decibels collaborated with a selection of like-minded organisations, such as Deafax and the Deaf Ethnic Women’s Association (DEWA) - pooling resources and sharing activities to add value and yield the maximum benefit towards the common goal of supporting disabled young people and their families.

We’d like to thank The Sobell Foundation, whose financial support, recognition and belief in our work has been invaluable. We hope we’ve highlighted that deaf and disabled people CAN and DO achieve the lead.

Please find the full report attached below for your reading.

Click here to read the report