ABOUT ACTCESSIBLE
No one left out of the story.
At a hospital, a young patient had spent the day moving between medical tests and appointments. During a performance of The Bedtime Beastie, she became absorbed in the puppets, characters and story. When her appointments were finished, she chose to stay for the rest of the show.
At a dementia care home, residents who had initially been withdrawn were soon dancing with performers. One resident asked for more when the session finished.
And after a signing workshop, a parent described how her autistic daughter continued learning signs for feelings and everyday words, giving her another way to express herself when speech became difficult.
These are the moments that explain why Actcessible exists.
Actcessible grew from a determination to challenge the barriers that prevent people from experiencing creativity on equal terms.
In December 2025, we became a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), charity number 1216226.
Since then, we have continued developing relationships with schools, healthcare providers, community organisations and specialist settings, bringing accessible experiences directly into environments where they can make a difference.
Our work also continues beyond the performance space. Through accessible online games, educational videos and interactive resources, we create opportunities for families, children and educators to explore disability, communication and inclusion in their own time.
As we grow, our ambition is to reach more communities, strengthen our partnerships and create lasting opportunities for the people who need them.
We want accessibility to be understood not as an exception or special arrangement, but as a natural and essential part of creativity.
Creativity should never depend on ability.
Actcessible is a disability-led, inclusive arts and accessibility charity creating opportunities for people who face barriers to theatre, creativity, communication and participation.
We believe that a person's disability, neurodivergence, sensory needs, health conditions or circumstances should never determine whether they can experience the joy of a performance, the excitement of learning something new or the confidence that comes from being included.
Too often, the responsibility for accessibility falls on the person experiencing the barrier.
We believe it should be the other way around.
Through accessible theatre, educational workshops, interactive activities and digital experiences, we bring creativity into schools, hospitals, hospices, specialist provisions, care settings and communities.
We don't expect everyone to experience a story in the same way. We create different ways to experience it.
The difference we are making
Our work is already reaching people who might otherwise have limited access to inclusive creative experiences.
1,100+ face-to-face engagements recorded during 2026.
100% would recommend Actcessible in our 2026 independent partner survey.
9.9/10 average overall experience reported through our 2026 independent partner survey.
But the value of our work extends far beyond these figures.
It can be seen in a child discovering that theatre is something they can enjoy, a young person finding new confidence in everyday situations, or a family recognising their own experiences in a story.
My child normally won’t sit through television or theatre for very long at all, but they watched the whole of The Masked Princess. I really think the story about masking and being yourself connected with them.
Parent, Spectrum Autism Friendly Festival
Access people can feel.
Accessibility isn't something we add at the end of a production. It shapes the stories we tell, the way we prepare and the experiences we create.
The Bedtime Beastie was especially created for visually impaired audiences, while welcoming everyone. Music, puppetry, audio description and touch tours allow audiences to explore the story through different senses.
The Sword in the Stone was especially created for Deaf children, while welcoming all audiences. Integrated signing, visual storytelling and adaptable performance techniques allow children with different communication needs to share the same adventure.
The Masked Princess explores social masking, identity, empathy and the importance of being yourself, giving audiences opportunities to recognise, understand and celebrate difference.
Our approaches can include British Sign Language, Sign Supported English, Braille, audio description, touch tours, sensory exploration and flexible participation.
Some people want to sing, dance and join in. Others may want to watch quietly, explore an object, communicate differently or take a break.
Every way of participating matters.
The impact doesn't end when the performance finishes.
Our workshops use drama, music, storytelling and creative play to develop communication, confidence, understanding and practical life skills.
In schools, children explore BSL, Braille and different ways of communicating. They learn about disability and difference, but more importantly, they have opportunities to put that understanding into practice.
One school described pupils continuing to learn signs and sharing their knowledge in an assembly months after our visit.
At Portland College, performances and drama workshops provided opportunities to explore communication, choices and everyday situations through accessible role-play.
And one teenage beneficiary described feeling more confident ordering in a restaurant after taking part in a drama workshop.
For us, this is what meaningful inclusion looks like: something experienced through creativity becoming something useful in everyday life.
Opportunity changes more than a performance.
We believe disabled and neurodivergent people should not only have access to the arts. They should have opportunities to shape, create and deliver them.
Lived experience is central to Actcessible. Our team includes disabled and neurodivergent performers, volunteers and creative contributors whose perspectives help influence our decisions and delivery.
In our 2026 internal team survey, 57% of respondents identified as disabled.
We recognise that practical barriers can prevent talented people from accessing opportunities. Sometimes removing those barriers means flexible working, adapted communication, additional support or finding a different way of doing something.
One freelance performer explained the difference this made:
Since my disability prevents me from driving, I have been unable to take up many freelance acting opportunities. However, Actcessible has not only given me an opportunity to perform, but has actively worked on and carried out a plan to enable me to take the train to locations independently. Actcessible has been life-changing for me.
Freelance performer working with Actcessible
That's more than providing someone with a role in a production. It's helping open up opportunities beyond it.
Our story is still being written.
We know that one performance cannot remove every barrier. But it can open a conversation, change a perception, build confidence or create a moment someone will remember.
One person may discover another way to communicate. Another may recognise themselves in a character for the first time. A patient may find a welcome moment away from hospital life. A performer may discover an opportunity they once believed was beyond their reach.
And those moments matter.
Because nobody should ever be left out of the story.
