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Forty years celebrating disabled artists across UK

Phil Chapman & Gemma Sherlock
BBC News, Liverpool
Phil Chapman / BBC A bald man crouches next to a woman in a wheelchair, both are looking at the camera, pictured in an auditorium Phil Chapman / BBC
Lisa Simpson with her husband, John, at the festival's opening night

An artist who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy is one of many showcasing her creativity at a 40th anniversary festival to celebrate disabled and deaf artists.

Lisa Simpson, who has no verbal communication, is taking part in Liverpool's DaDaFest International, which was founded by the disability arts organisation, DaDa.

The organisation, founded in Liverpool in 1984, has been campaigning for equality and access for disabled artists across the arts sector for 40 years.

Ms Simpson, who communicates via a Simpson board by choosing words with her eyes, said the festival marks an "opportunity for disabled artists to show what they can do".

The Simpson Board enables Ms Simpson to create her own work, helping her to have a glittering career as a choreographer and workshop leader.

Her husband, John Glass, said she was "probably the only non-verbal choreographer in the world".

A woman in a wheelchair has her arms in the air waving on a board
Lisa Simpson has been working with DaDa for a number of years

Ms Simpson said: "The Simpson Board is my creative voice. It's my means of communicating.

"Through my work I am able to unlock my creativity and I am able to express movements through my dancers that I am unable to make myself."

Phil Chapman / BBC A woman with blonde hair, tied back, wearing glasses and a cow print coat, smiles at the camera as she stands in an auditorium Phil Chapman / BBC
Rachel Rogers said it was fantastic to see so many artists return to the festival this year

The festival, which began in 2001, has a theme of rage for this year's event, reflecting many disabled artists' frustration at the "continued uphill battle for equity and inclusion", organisers said.

Rachel Rogers, executive producer at DaDaFest, said: "For an organisation to make 40 years is an achievement in itself.

"For me personally it is just fantastic to see people who have come back who we have worked with for a long time.

"For us that is one of the biggest things, bringing people together."

Two hands come together, illuminated on a large building, at night time, on a waterfront
DaDaFest launched at Liverpool's waterfront, showcasing artwork from the deaf and disabled community

Hundreds came together to attend the festival's opening night at the Open Eye Gallery on Mann Island, where artwork from disabled women artists and activists were displayed.

Liverpool artist, Maisie Gordon, said: "Being a disabled person in 2025 is obviously a lot better than it used to be.

We are progressing really far. There has been a lot of changes, a lot of brilliant activism that's been happening.

"But we've still got a long way to go."

The festival runs across Liverpool until the end of March, showcasing various events and displays from artists all over the UK.

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