Header image by Georgina Capper, with permission from La Mama Theatre
Image description: A group photo of thirteen smiling people and an assistance dog standing and crouching down on the outdoor decking in front of the two storey La Mama Theatre. The Aboriginal flag is attached to the upper floor railing, a string of lights is suspended above and behind, and a leafy branch of a jacaranda tree stretches over them. From VV's audio description and tactile tour training sessions for La Mama staff co-delivered by Nilgun Guven and Olivia Muscat.
Consultancy, Training and Education
Vitae Veritas works with a variety of small, medium and large organisations, local government agencies, independent artists and collectives, to assist them to meet their diversity, access and inclusion goals, objectives and priorities.
We identify opportunities and provide immediate and long-lasting solutions or strategies that best meet and support implementing change and improvements. Our services offer sustainable approaches with long-lasting benefits and acquisition of new skills, knowledge and practices that are relevant and transferable beyond the life of the project or activity.
We are often sought by individuals and organisations who want to:
- strengthen and integrate access and inclusion priorities into their quality and operational management frameworks
- build organisational capacity and provide learning opportunities to increase individual, team, staff and volunteer capabilities
- provide more diverse and culturally appropriate accessible artistic outputs and program of activities
- promote equitable inclusion of people with disability as artists, audience and workers
- redress systemic, social and environmental workplace barriers
- deepen engagement, extend reach and increase the representation and visibility of disabled artists and communities in the local and broader arts community
We coordinate and deliver a variety of professional development training programs, and co-design tools, information and resources for business, staff and volunteers, projects and events including for marketing and promotion.
Vitae Veritas specialises in audio description and tactile tour training for those whose objectives are to prioritise and improve blind and low vision accessibility in performing and visual arts contexts.
We assist with liaison and networking with key advocacy groups to assist organisations with the development of their Disability, Inclusion and Access Plans and review existing processes in consultation with disabled and blind low vision community members to gather information, apply feedback and inform recommendations where improvements can be made.
We are active members in several diversity and inclusion sub-committees, including the International Inclusive Arts Network and have contributed to several research and development projects such as Beyond Access, Arts Access Victoria and University of Melbourne; The Last Avant Garde with Julie McNamara of Vital Xposure and University of Melbourne; and Creating Out Loud, University of Queensland and Theatre Network Australia.
Our long-term relationship and work with (it’s no) drama to achieve their goal of establishing themselves as a viable and sustainable disability-lead arts organisation in South Gippsland, working with the Artistic Director, transition management team, staff, community, and other stakeholders in the preparation of business, strategic and developmental plans for the organisation was fundamental to its success.
Our long-term work with The Village Festival of New Art developed and leveraged relationships with new community and artistic groups, service providers and provision of access services, and alongside training programs, learning opportunities and organisational support, we facilitated and documented- increased number of Deaf and disabled audience attending and presenting at their events, increased disability confidence and productive interrelations with different Deaf & disabled networks and local, regional community groups, reviewed policies for Board ratification including the creation and newly filled Diversity and Inclusion Officer role, and realised new collaborative project co-led by an emerging Deaf artist with other interdisciplinary artists, and providing exciting pathway opportunities for a Blind community member to create and perform new work with other blind artists and professionals in VV's 2022 Disrupting sighted ableism CultureLab project.
Our ongoing work with Midsumma Festival has involved reviewing their existing programs, events and systems to recommend accessibility improvements, types of training, services, artist and production supports, tools and resources required to develop and strengthen knowledge, skills and awareness across the whole organisation, programs and events, to promote and increase representation and visibility of LGBTQIA+ blind and low vision artists and communities.
Our work with Women with Disabilities Australia involves facilitating co-designed processes with women and gender-diverse people with disability, and sector representatives across Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, to develop a website that focuses on sex, relationships, relationship education, and the multiple forms of violence and abuse that affect women and girls with disability.
Our work with Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority 2023-2024 involves VV and our team of consultants- Francois Jacobs, Elise Lonsdale and Lauren Hayes, providing consultancy, training, accessibility reviews of web, exhibition design and event delivery, audio description products and services for the VCE Season of Excellence and Top Designs 2024.
Enquiries:
Contact us via email
Related links:
- Disrupting sighted ableism
- Audio Description and Tactile Tours
- Testimonials
- About VV and our valued Clients
