There is so much to be said and written about in this section! If you’ve never had the pleasure of sitting in an audience viewing an evening of Disability Culture, you may not have experienced the “aha! moment” that can profoundly shift your view of the world and the people in it. When Ryerson (now TMU) sought funding for its “Art with Attitude” annual events back in the early 2000’s, the major potential funder was quite sceptical about funding a “celebration” of disability arts and culture. They were willing to support a “charity” event for the underprivileged, but they couldn’t quite see how the word “celebration” would apply. Until they did. Until they attended a performance and experienced that “Aha moment” — then they were all in!
Take some time to click on the links below and learn more about the contributions of disabled authors, artists, film-makers and performers.
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Crip Trip (2025) – Watch it FREE on TVO or AMI
This 6-part series features Edmonton photographer/painter Daniel Ennett and movie producer Frederick Kroetsch as they undertake an under-planned journey across the country searching for a solution to a looming long-term-care problem.
Crip Trip follows quadruple amputee Daniel and his reluctant caregiver Frederick, as they hit the road in a barely functioning RV, trying to keep Daniel out of a long-term care home by turning him into a working TV director. From junkyard photo shoots and Indigenous powwows to American art scenes, darkroom disasters, and stand-up comedy, the duo navigates the brutal realities of disability, art, and survival on the road. Along the way, they protest, pitch shows, and nearly kill each other as broken equipment, blown opportunities, and burned-out friendships threaten to derail their mission. It’s a punk-rock road trip for justice—with no plan, no brakes, and no limbs.
https://www.tvo.org/programs/crip-trip
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Liz Carr Addresses the Victoria Parliament regarding their proposed Assisted Suicide Law. (2017)
“As soon as you recognize the need for safeguards, you have recognized the fact that there’s a risk.”
“The risks of changing the law exceed the risk of leaving it as it is.” (Quoting Catherine McKinnon)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRE6Zwq62vc&t=184s
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Disposable Humanity (World Premiere, Slamdance 2025)
A film by disabled historians David Mitchell and Sharon Snyder about the original victims of the Nazi Aktion T4 Euthanasia program — the ‘practice’ ground for methods of killing and disposing of bodies that paved the way for the Shoah, the mass murder of millions of Jews. The Holocaust became possible through the designation of an entire class of people, disabled Germans, ‘lives unworthy of life’ who were (secretively) declared redundant and marked for ‘disposal’ by the German medical establishment and the Nazi government. Most of these medical practitioners escaped accountability and/or punishment after the war ended.
History, too, is a way of building disability culture, and these disabled film-makers of considerable talent help to bring this repressed history into public view.
https://www.disposablehumanity.com/
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Fragile and Wild, Ethics, ecology and other enticements for a stalled writer
Catherine Frazee, a thoughtful and challenging disabled writer posts occasionally (infrequently) on topics of political interest from an intensely personal perspective.
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The Second Glance
A Soul Biography by Nic Askew (2023)
Featuring performer, David Roche.
You can watch the video at: https://soulbiographies.com/library/the-second-glance/?fbclid=IwAR2e5NsoCGuTIpptQYII-YTMhzXusDEAvcJSFm97gxhZC0dkvZP3NhNM9sc
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Act of God: The Pursuit of Independence — and a Hundred Dollar Bill
2023
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January 18, 2023 (CBC Nova Scotia). Meet one of the signers who translated the Mi’kmaq Honour Song into sign language
Mi’kmaw signers Holly Green and Sheila Johnson
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October 13, 2022 (The Coast) Nocturne 2022: QUIET PARADE marches to a more accessible future
Artists with disabilities and illnesses requiring low-stimulation events that don’t aggravate their health risks collaborated to make a ground-breaking Quiet Parade in Halifax in October, 2022.
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Useless Eaters Cabaret
Sick & Twisted Theatre, 2022
Streamed live from Winnipeg
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We regret to inform you … (NFB, 2018)
Eva Colmers & Heidi Janz
Watch it on the NFB website: https://www.nfb.ca/film/we_regret_to_inform_you/
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Liz Carr, Assisted Suicide, The Musical (2017)
Liz Carr is a British actor and theatre producer who wrote and starred in this amazing production. We can’t show you the whole show, but this link has some excellent clips, including the final number which features CANADA!!!
And here’s Liz Carr being interviewed about the show.
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Out from Under: Disability, History and Things to Remember (2008)
In April 2008, Out from Under: Disability, History and Things to Remember explored the history of disabled people in Canada. A display of thirteen diverse objects revealed a rich and nuanced story that paid tribute to the resilience, creativity, and the civic and cultural contributions of Canadians with disabilities.
The first of its kind in Canada, this remarkable exhibition was produced in collaboration with students, scholars and alumni from Ryerson University (now known as Toronto Metropolitan University, TMU). The origin of Out from Under was a special topic seminar designed to uncover the hidden history of disability in Canada. Students were invited to identify an object representing a particular era or moment in Canadian disability history and explore its significance. The result is a powerful portrait of a community that is vital, dynamic and proud. Out from Under was fully accessible, including sign language interpretation and a plain-language audio tour.
The entire exhibit awaits your visit.
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SHAMELESS: The Art of Disability
A 2005 NFB film by renowned film-maker, Bonnie Sherr Klein
“Art and activism are the starting point for a funny and intimate portrait of five surprising individuals with diverse disabilities. Packed with humour and raw energy, this film follows the gang of five from B.C. to Nova Scotia as they create and present their own images of their disabilities.”
Click the link and watch it for free!
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Art with Attitude. Culture Cauldron.
Kenny Fries, David Roche, Jane Field, Spirit Synott, Kazumi Tsuroka, John Feld, Victoria Maxwell, Riva Lehrer, Alex Bulmer, Erin Clark and so many more!
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ThisAbility. Ann Arbor, MI, 1995
Disability culture did not start in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1995, but this important international conference made a major impression upon a couple of curious Canadians who, having seen and experienced the phenomenon, decided on the long drive back home to “make something like this happen in Canada”.
This Ability featured many artists, some of whom went on to make names for themselves in the wider art world and in academia.
One stand-out memory was the performance of Irish artist/photographer, Mary Duffy, as she confronted the audience wearing nothing but the skin suit she was born in, challenging us to really look, really see, her armless body. She has gone on to be a renowned painter of landscapes and abstract subjects.
Other featured artists were Carrie Sandahl, Kenny Fries, Eli Clare, Cheryl Marie Wade and many others.
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