LALA Arts Secures National Funding to Launch Bold Disabled-Led Programme ‘For With By’
‘ LALA Arts has secured major investment from Youth Music’s £2.25 million Shift the Scene fund to transform access to the arts for Disabled young people.’
One of just 13 organisations selected from more than 150 applicants nationwide, LALA Arts will use the funding to launch ‘For With By’ (FWB) a four-year, disabled-led creative programme designed to shift who gets to create, lead and succeed in the arts.
FWB is not a traditional participation programme. It is a creative ecosystem built with Disabled young people, not for them. Offering first steps into the arts alongside paid, professional pathways.
The programme includes a yearly co-created project for 11–18-year-olds and a dedicated artist development strand for 18–30-year-olds, opening up real routes into creative careers. A young leaders steering group will sit at its core, shaping decisions and driving the work forward.
The funding follows Youth Music’s Excluded by Design report, which lays bare the structural barriers Disabled young people face — from limited access to creative education to stark underrepresentation in the workforce. While inclusive practice exists, it remains the exception, not the rule. FWB aims to change that.
By embedding accessibility, co-creation and Disabled leadership from the ground up, LALA Arts is working to redesign the cultural landscape — creating space for Disabled creativity to thrive on its own terms.
Alice Christina-Corrigan Artistic and Executive director at LALA Arts, said:
“FWB was born out of LALA’s existing methodology and approach to community work and disabled artist development across Salford, Greater Manchester and the Midlands. Our approach is innovative, well researched and creatively impactful. This fund strengthens what’s already working and helps us scale it ethically and sustainably — something that can often be difficult to do in this sector. We are incredibly excited to get started.”
Carol Reid, Interim Co-CEO at Youth Music, said:
“Unfortunately the arts sector is still failing Disabled young people. Although our Excluded by Design report charts some good practice, there is still lots of work to do. We’re tackling this head-on through this fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery funding via Arts Council England.”
With For With By, LALA Arts isn’t just widening access, it’s shifting power.
Meet Youth Music’s Shift The Scene Fund Recipients below:
https://www.youthmusic.org.uk/news/meet-shift-scene-recipients
The Youth Music Shift the Scene Fund launched following new research showing Disabled young people face disproportionate barriers when accessing the arts, creative education and employment. You can read more about the report ‘Excluded by Design’ below:
https://www.youthmusic.org.uk/excluded-by-design
How To Make My Tech More Accessible
(So I Can Actually Do My Job)
Written by Ada Eravama
‘My tech works for my access, not anyone else’s.’
The New Year brings up a lot for many of us.
For me, as a visually impaired creative working in the arts. It often becomes a moment to reflect on my practice and take more intentional steps towards my goals.
I’ve built my career around access consultancy and creative audio description dramaturgy. A lot of what I do sits around 60–40% online vs in person. So, making sure my devices work for me isn’t a “nice extra,”it’s essential.
This is how I use accessibility features to make my work smoother, efficient and intentional.
Do what works best for you
The VI, (visually impaired) community can be some of the most tech savvy people I know. But that doesn’t mean getting used to tech is always easy, or that there’s a correct set up for all. Take me, for example. While a lot of people lean towards laptops, I’ve found a tablet and keyboard setup works best for me, and I tend to use both iOS and android devices.
A not-so-secret fact about me: I went to a college for blind students. It was a bit of a utopia for accessible tech, and that’s where I became used to working with screen reader software like JAWS. But when I moved to university, continuing with JAWS became much more difficult mainly because of the cost, and because no one else around me used it. If I got stuck, there was no one who could help me troubleshoot in the moment.
So, I shifted….
I moved towards a tablet-based setup with an interface that felt familiar to using my phone, but with a much bigger screen. Now, whether I’m working from home or travelling for work, I mostly use my tablet with a keyboard and trackpad. It gives me:
. Touchscreen access when I want it
. A mouse/trackpad for precision
. A physical keyboard when I need speed
It’s flexible, portable, and adaptable, and honestly, it’s been life changing. I don’t see many people using this setup, but if it
works for me, I’m not going to break it.
Personalise your set up to your access needs
Someone once told me, I shouldn’t use tactile stickers on my keyboard because, “what if you have to use someone else’s laptop?”
I respectfully ignored that advice.
Even if I knew the layout of someone else’s laptop, it wouldn’t have my screen reader, my zoom settings, my contrast, or my shortcuts – so I still wouldn’t be able to use it! The best thing I’ve ever done for myself, is fully personalising my setup, so it meets my access needs.
I add tactile stickers to my keyboard, especially on keys 1, 6 and 0. This stops me from having to feel and count my way along the keyboard to know where I am. It’s a small thing but makes an enormous difference. You can add stickers to any keys to help you navigate faster.
Accessibility settings are your best friend
This is where the real magic happens!
In settings, you can truly make your device work for you. Below are a couple of things I set up to make my device meet my access needs.
VoiceOver (iOS / iPadOS)
I often get eye strain when reading too long, and when working with scripts, I need to keep up to my peers.
I’ve customised VoiceOver by:
. Choosing my preferred voice and speed
. The verbosity (how much it speaks)
. Shortcut keys so I can turn it on and off quickly
. Set it to read line by line, so I can navigate scripts
Using VoiceOver, alongside the ability to detach my iPad from the keyboard and move around freely, has given me the flexibility to perform physically, whilst staying on top of scripts, making quick edits to my notes and more.
Zoom / magnification
Even though I use VoiceOver, I often prefer to use Zoom for visual navigation, especially with images.
. I use full screen Zoom, set up to follow my cursor, so as I type or
move the trackpad, the magnification follows me around the
screen.
. Trackpad gestures to zoom in and out
. Triple-tap on the screen when I need quick magnification away
from my keyboard
Display & Text Size
Because it’s my device, I make the text big.
In Display & Text Size, I increase:
. System text size (including Dynamic Type)
. Bold text
. Reduce transparency
. You can also adjust filters, or increase contrast, it’s very
customisable
Apps that support Dynamic Type, like Gmail and Notes automatically adjust to my preferred size. This means, when I open an email or a newsletter, it adjusts to me.
However, it always helps when services meet accessibility standards, as it takes the pressure off me. Most modern websites respect system text and display access standard, though some can fall through the cracks.
When they don’t meet accessibility standards, that’s an access issue on their side, not yours. If you do come across accessibility issues, you can feedback to organisers and signpost them to services or consultants who can guide them on best practice.
Hover Text
Hover Text lets me point my cursor at text and have it enlarged. I use this when I only need to read something short and don’t want the full screen reader experience.
All these settings are easy to switch between by navigating Shortcuts that allow me to get to system settings quickly or enable features I want to use at the time
A quick note on Android
I’m a bit of a unicorn and use both iOS and Android.
I use my android phone primarily for my social life. Here I have WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok.
On my Android phone, I use similar features:
. Larger text
. Magnification / zoom
. Screen reader (TalkBack)
. Contrasting colours
And more.
My phone works for my access, not anyone else’s.
Final Thoughts
Accessibility on iOS and Android has come a long way, and these features genuinely make my work life more possible.
Access barriers shouldn’t be the thing stopping you from doing your best work, staying connected, or taking part fully. Your setup doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s. It just needs to work for you.
Ada Eravama
Writer, Audio Description Dramaturge, Access Consultant
TripleC Manchester, Freelance Creative Team Member
Support and Resources
If you’d like support in making your technology more accessible, here
are some trusted UK organisations offering advice, training, and hands
on help:
Technology Association of Visually Impaired People (TAVIP)
What they do: A long-established UK charity focused specifically on
technology for blind and partially sighted people. They offer impartial
advice, a technology helpline, tutorials, webinars, events and IT training.
Website: https://www.tavip.org.uk
Email: info@tavip.org.uk
Phone: 0203 637 6070
RNIB – Royal National Institute of Blind People
What they do: One of the UK’s largest sight-loss charities. Their
Technology for Life service provides advice, guidance, and training on
everything from smartphones and screen readers to tablets and
accessible apps. Support can include phone or email help, volunteer-
assisted tech setup, one-to-one training, and group sessions.
Website: https://www.rnib.org.uk
Email: techsupport@rnib.org.uk
Phone: 0303 123 9999