Project Outline
The project aims at enhancing the inclusion of people with disabilities into the performing arts sector while opening further and new opportunities for people with disabilities for work and participation. The project also aims at creating awareness and changing social stigmas through theater where people with disabilities are included and their messages are conveyed.
The project will be based over an assessment (first component) conducted by the project Associate Partner “Qader for Community Development” who will assess the status of inclusion of people with disabilities in the Arts sector in the West Bank and recommendations on how to improve that. The second component of the project will focus on capacity building of people with disabilities and without disabilities in mixed and inclusive groups. That includes training for a group of hearing impaired young men and women on moving giant puppets and activating work done with children in Theater performances and festivals. In addition, conducting a drama training for a group of young men and women with different abilities to enhance self-expression, building confidence and communication skills, and compel stories and issues that need to be addressed. The third component is producing a theater performance that is inspired by the results of the assessment and the conclusions of the drama sessions to be performed for varied audiences and communities in different areas in the West Bank.
Project Objectives
The project aims to:
- Enhance the inclusion of people with disabilities within the performance arts sectors
- Build capacities of people with disabilities and without disabilities in inclusive groups through drama and theater
- Raise social awareness about rights of people with disabilities towards changing social stigmas
This project will help answer the following questions:
- How can new collaborative local partnerships contribute to shaping public and professional understanding of disability?
- How can local partnerships with arts and cultural organizations represent and shape public discourse and understanding of disability?
This project is implemented in partnership between Al-Harah Theater and Qader for Community Development who purely work on promoting better well-being for persons with disabilities in Palestine. The project aims at shaping a better understanding of disability focusing on the Performing Arts Sector where Qader with be conducting an assessment on the status of inclusion of people with disabilities in the Performing Arts Sector that will feed into the work of Al-Harah Theater and will influence the work of Culture and Arts organizations in the West Bank in Palestine. It will also enhance the capacities of people with disabilities and help create new opportunities of work and learning within theater. It will create a space through which people with disabilities are included where they can express their aspirations and challenges that will be conveyed to the public community through a theater production that includes people with disabilities as actors/actresses.
This is considered for the following reasons:
- Lack of focus on inclusion of people with disabilities in the Arts and Performing Arts Sector in specific.
- The wide range of new and creative opportunities that can be opened for people with disabilities in theater and Performing Arts field
- Creating safe spaces for people with disabilities where they are included and where they can safely and freely express themselves and develop their skills
- Theater and drama are powerful tools for provoking social norms and stigmas and consequently creating change of attitudes and practices.
By the end of this project, the following impact is expected:
- Performing Arts and Cultural organizations will be better informed on how to better include people with disabilities within their work
- Disability-led organizations are more aware of the needs of the Arts sector
- Skills and capacities of people with disabilities are enhanced in theater related fields creating new opportunities of potential work
- Local communities are better aware about the rights of people with disabilities towards changing social stigmas.




Impact Funding
Inclusion of people with disabilities in the Performing Arts Sector in West Bank Conference
Al-Harah Theater conducted an assessment in cooperation with Qader for Community Development on the “Status of inclusion of people with disabilities in the Performing Arts Sector in West Bank -Palestine”. The research showed important results and recommendations that must be shared with the Performing Arts Sector in Palestine represented by members of the Palestinian Performing Arts Network and other Performing Arts actors in addition to individual artists. This is planned through a One-Day conference event that includes presentation of the research results, speaking sessions, and discussion sessions that handle action steps towards enhanced inclusion of people with disabilities in the Performing Arts Sector in Palestine.
Activities: .
- Preparation meetings organized along with Dar Al-Kalima University to establish the plan and logistics of the event
- A committee from Al-Harah Theater of three people together with two people from Qader decided on the panel for the conference. The conference included a speaker from Dar Al Kalima University to introduce and welcome the audience
- A speaker from Qader Community for Development and a speaker from Al Harah Theater, who presented a summary of the results of the research implemented and gave recommendations to the attendees
- Al Harah Theater General Director presented the work of Al Harah Theater to include people with disability in the arts through their work and cooperation with Disability Under Siege and also other partners
- Sharihan Al Hadweh: An artist with visual disability presented part of the Stand-Up comedy show “No Cheri” and talked about her experience
- Yara Qawariq: A singer with visual disability sang a song and talked about her life challenges and experiences
- Short videos on examples of inclusion of people with disabilities in Performing Arts was also screened during the conference
The conference took place on the 4th of June 2024 at Dar Al-Kalima University of Arts in Bethlehem and participants included active members from the Performing Arts Sector in the West Bank, representatives of Arts organizations, representative of disability rights-based organizations, actors and actresses, local stakeholders (community organizations and municipalities), in addition to people with disabilities represented by the Union and Palestinian Coalition for People with Disabilities, and representatives from the Ministry of Culture.
The conference was held during a period which was very violent and unsafe in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It was the ninth month of the war against Gaza. Extreme violence was taking place in different districts especially Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarem. Many activities and events were cancelled in all of the West Bank. So having people come to attend a conference during this period was an indication that people were engaged. We had a representative from the Ministry of Culture in Bethlehem, Heads of organisations like Lailac for development, Bethlehem Arab Society and others. Young people who attended also came all the way from Hebron, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Yara Qawariq the young woman with visual disability came all the way from Ramallah with her family. Dar Al Kalema University, the new arts university was very engaged in the top as they would like to encourage young people with disability to apply to their programs.
As a result of the research and the conference we feel more responsible to encourage performing arts organisations to include people with disabilities in their work. We also have more conviction towards the importance of inclusion of people with disability in our productions in the future.
We are continuing to train and work to include more people with disability into the theatre and performing arts.
We already continue to employ two artists with disability in our theatre one on freelance basis and one on part time basis.
A new group of people with disabilities was integrated in our drama training program at the Theater.
Started working with a Qader and Basr on accessibility to one of our spaces for people with physical disability next year.
We will be disseminating the research with all the partners in Palestine and some partners internationally.
More performances for No Cheri will be carried out next year in the UK in cooperation with Shubbak Festival 2025.