Our Impact

Creativity and self-expression are essential to being human. At Actcessible, our mission is to harness the power of the arts, imaginative play, and digital spaces to make the world truly accessible and promote the education of inclusivity.

We believe that creative experiences should never be limited by physical access, communication methods, health, or personal circumstances.

What We Do.

Breaking Barriers: We intentionally design inclusive physical and digital environments so anyone can share in the magic of the arts.

Teaching and Practising Inclusion: Whether through structured creative programmes, digital exploration, or imaginative play, we teach and practise true inclusion, building confidence and nurturing wellbeing.

Centring the Individual: Every experience is shaped by its participants, accommodating a wide range of needs so everyone feels seen and valued.

By ensuring the arts and digital spaces include everyone, we create a more accessible world where every individual has the space to belong and be fully themselves.

Statistics

Did you know that 5,000+ children are admitted to UK hospitals every single day?

Statistics show:

Up to 83% of children actively engage with the activities.
92% of parents say it significantly improves their family’s experience of being in hospital.
69% of parents report that it successfully distracts their child from the hospital environment

NHS Hospital Episode Statistics (HES):

[GOSH Arts Evaluation & UK Parliamentary Evidence

Actcessible is shaped by the people behind it. While industry statistics suggest that only 8.5% of professionals working in the arts identify as disabled.

Our recent study (May 2026) showed that 57% of the Actcessible team consider themselves disabled under the Equality Act 2010.

Disabled professionals make up just 8.5% of the arts workforce, despite 24% of the UK population now reporting a disability. Source: Arts Council England, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Data Report (2024) and Department for Work and Pensions, Family Resources Survey (2023/2024).

Fewer than 30% of UK theatres list access services (such as captioning, BSL interpretation, or audio description) for upcoming productions. Source: VocalEyes, Theatre Access Report (2019, updated 2021).

Despite 1 in 5 people in the UK being Deaf or hard of hearing, only 21% of UK theatres provide British Sign Language (BSL) performances. Source: Stagetext and VocalEyes, State of Theatre Access Report (2021).

Only 20% of UK theatres offer relaxed or sensory-friendly performances.Source: Stagetext and VocalEyes, State of Theatre Access Report (2021).

Theatres save the NHS approximately £102 million every year through the physical and mental health benefits they deliver. Source: Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre, reported by The Stage (2021).

Theatre projects for people with dementia improve mood, memory, and social connection, showing measurable well-being gains. Source: Swansea University, Innovative Theatre Project Bringing Laughter to People with Dementia (2023).

Despite these measurable clinical gains, 96% of UK theatres do not offer dementia-friendly performances. Source: Stagetext and VocalEyes, State of Theatre Access Report (2021).

Children growing up in the most deprived local authorities in England face a severe "Arts entitlement gap." Schools in the most deprived 20% of the country are more than twice as likely to completely lack expressive arts provision compared to those in the least deprived areas. Source: Cultural Learning Alliance, Report Card and Rapid Evidence Reviews for Arts Subjects (2025/2026).

'It's been an honour to be a part of a tour that is making such a huge difference to people who otherwise would have a lot more difficulty accessing theatre. You can visibly see the joy and lightness it brings! We've had a couple of times where it's been tough not to get emotional. The impact is obvious and the need for organisations like Actcessible and tours like this is obvious!'

Max Day, Actcessible Performer

Stories of Impact

During one of our workshops, we met a young autistic girl who often lost the ability to speak when distressed. Feedback from her parents later stated that when we introduced basic signs in our workshop, she had discovered a new way to communicate when words were difficult to access. She continued learning to sign emotions and basic words, giving her another tool to express herself during times of crisis.

Another boy in the same workshops began signing in every day life his emotions such as stressed when he was unable to vocalise his feelings.

In a hospital outpatient department, a young girl who had spent the morning undergoing medical tests became completely immersed in our performance of The Bedtime Beastie. After seeing her doctors she chose to stay and watch the remainder of the show, leaving with a smile after an otherwise challenging day.

These moments remind us why accessibility matters. When people are given the right support, the right environment, and the opportunity to participate, meaningful change can happen.

'When my daughter came round from one of her surgeries a wonderful performer came round and did magic whilst another was singing requests for the kids and it made SUCH A DIFFERENCE! Children who had been crying and in pain forgot about that for a moment and were smiling as they engaged with the performer and as parents we had a moment of relief as we watched what a difference it made!'

Shared with us on social media regarding the impact of the arts in hospitals

"We’ve had these amazing performers today and they were just outstandingly good. The children were engaging. It was just wonderful and thank you so much for charities like this. They really do deserve a lot of support. They make such a difference." Chrissy Freemantle, NHS Play Specialist

"The audience interaction was really good. I enjoyed that they came right up to us with the puppets. I also really liked the touch tour in the middle. This gave us the chance to feel the props and help understand the story more." Abbie, Audience member for an audio descriptive and touch tour performance of The Bedtime Beastie

"Having the BSL integrated was great and the humour kept all the children engaged the whole way through." Jack Nilland, Trustee of Derby Children's Deaf Society

"We've absolutely loved having Actcessible here today to perform at the children's outpatients department. It was really fun, really engaging, the colours were brilliant, the use of puppets was brilliant as well, and it worked really, really well for the young children and it was really refreshing to see such enthusiasm and thought about people." Rosie Rutherford, Music Co-ordinator at Air Arts, Burton and Derby Hospital

"We had Actcessible in our school today and it's been brilliant. They've taught the children about sign language and Braille, but also the importance of being respectful and showing kindness towards others, and also about how all differences should be celebrated in school." Jason Cunningham, Headteacher

Expanding Our Stage Online

We bring you a fun online world where everyone belongs. This space is packed with videos, adventures like Dragon Tamer and Squeakspere, and playful activities to learn BSL and Braille. We bring education and inclusion right to your home so that nobody is ever left out of the story.

This approach has helped take the message of alternative communication methods and accessibility across the globe.

Looking Forward

We are still growing, but our mission remains simple. We want to create a world where accessibility is expected, inclusion is normal, and every person has the opportunity to participate, connect, and thrive.

Whether delivering workshops, supporting communication through BSL and Braille, creating accessible performances, developing digital resources, or bringing moments of joy into hospitals, schools, and care settings, our focus remains the same: to make sure every person feels welcome, valued, and included.