Our research assistants Hannah Donaldson and Karen Wood attended the Avoidance in the Academy conference held by the Centre for Culture and Disability Studies at Liverpool Hope University. Hannah and Karen presented a paper entitled “InVisible Difference: How the Academy can support the Disabled Dancer”.

In our audience were many well regarded members of academia including Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, author of Staring: How We Look and Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature. We received many interesting observations and comments, particularly following a short viewing of Caroline Bowditch’s A Casting Exploration clip.

Many thanks to Dr David Bolt and Dr Claire Penketh at Liverpool Hope University for hosting the conference.