This summer I will be working with the Association of British Choral Directors, creating a workshop series for choral directors and leaders across the UK aimed at "training the trainers" on disability, access, and inclusion. We have many workshops planned, including specific focusses on youth and older adults and the differing needs of these groups, as well as very exciting panel discussion sessions.

I'm taking a central role in planning content and contacting potential speakers for this project. It has been inspiring to work alongside abcd, whose mission is to provide training and CPD to directors on key topics. Through this workshop series (and accompanying resources on available to all, including those who do not attend the workshops), we aim to deliver professional development training that empowers choral leaders to build genuinely inclusive singing environments where disabled singers can belong and thrive. Despite growing awareness of accessibility needs across the arts sector, myself and abcd have found that many choral practitioners lack the knowledge and confidence to create genuinely inclusive spaces, often relying on reactive accommodations rather than proactive inclusive design. This was also bourne out through the results of my research project last summer.

The workshop series will educate participants on foundational disability awareness, including appropriate language and the social model of disability, while providing immediately actionable tools for improving spaces, communication, and materials. Throughout the series, a diverse range of disabled singers and experienced practitioners will share lived experiences and expertise, challenging common misconceptions about disability and musical standards while demonstrating best practices for inclusive leadership.

Participants will leave with concrete resources, including an access statement template and practical strategies for initiating accessibility conversations and policy reviews within their own organizations. By distributing through the Making Music network, the workshop will reach amateur choirs and orchestras nationally, creating a ripple effect of improved inclusive practices across the sector, and other organisations including Sing for Pleasure, the Royal School of Church Music, and more are also involved, providing key expertise and audiences across a hugely diverse range of settings and choral spaces.

The intended outcomes extend beyond individual learning to sector-wide culture change. Rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought, this project positions inclusive practices as standard elements of quality choral leadership. Success will be measured not only by participant feedback and resource uptake, but by the broader shift toward embedding accessibility as a core competency in musical leadership, ultimately expanding meaningful participation opportunities for disabled singers across diverse choral settings. 

I'm so excited to get started with abcd with our first workshop coming up soon, and also to prepare future sessions - which will extend beyond the end of my LiA through the preparation work I am able to do during this period. So, despite a difficult start with communication, we are working with excitement towards the first workshop!