A disabled dancer has returned to performing after a ten year hiatus, after finally finding an accessible studio and teacher in Newcastle.
Jasper Williams, 27, who is a Deaf wheelchair user, said the opportunity to re-engage with his craft has "done wonders" for his mental health and wellbeing.
The ‘uppercase D’ Deaf is used to describe people who identify as culturally Deaf and are actively engaged with the Deaf community.
For years, the dancer searched for a suitable studio, but a mixture of physically inaccessibility, social attitudes and a lack of funding barred him from his hobby.
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Jasper, who is originally from Oxford but now lives in Wallsend, started musical theatre aged six, where he would sing, act and dance.
His skills flourished, and by 17 he was at a professional level and ready to head off to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
However, in the same year he got ill with a condition that weakens his connective tissues and became a wheelchair user.
Jasper explained: "Getting ill messed with my plans, and I had to stop dancing for decade.
"Dancing was no longer as accessible to me, and I was refused by a lot of places. Very few studios are physically accessible, with either no ramp or stairs to the stage.
“And then you have to deal with the social attitudes towards disabled dancers. When you say you are Deaf, managers or teachers can assume you are terrible or even question whether you can dance without hearing the music.
“Or they aren’t willing to work with you because of the communication barriers. That isn’t always down to a negative attitude, it’s often because there’s not enough funding for an interpreter.
“It’s a problem across the arts. Deaf people often fall through the gaps because of how funding works.
"For example, the access to work scheme doesn’t cover it because it’s not paid work, and then the personal health budget attached to the council has a very strict criteria."
It was only when he stumbled across the work of Kate Stanforth online, a wheelchair user who specialises in teaching disabled dancers in Newcastle, that he decided to get back into performing.
Jasper has been attending her academy for a year and a half, where he performs a mixture of contemporary and ballet.
Jasper added: “I’d pretty much given up, but when I saw Kate dancing on Twitter, I knew it was fate and that I had to get in touch.
“I’d forgotten how amazing it feels, so I’m glad to be back, and it's done wonders for my mental health and wellbeing.
“Unless you dance, you might not get how it feels. It’s part of who you are, and it can be a brilliant way to express your feelings when you can’t find the words.”
“And as a disabled dancer, it’s also important to find the right partnership, with others who are willing to adapt to your needs."
Jasper said this was clearly illustrated by this year's Strictly Come Dancing winners: Rose Ayling-Ellis who is Deaf, and Giovanni Pernice.
"Giovanni made such an effort to learn sign language and to change how he danced," Jasper said.
“However, it wasn’t about him becoming fluent in BSL, more that he was open to adapting and to understand there’s not just one way to teach and dance.
“With access in place - Deaf and hearing dancers can thrive together.”
Jasper said that aside from her brilliant dancing, he appreciates Rose because she's used her platform to break down barriers and change the public's attitude towards Deaf dancers.
He said: “She included BSL dialogue in her dances, talked about access issues in the theatre and explained why people might use interpreters and also speak at the same time.
“That was important because unlike in the US, we don't have as many high profile Deaf celebrities.
“She got sign language searches up 488% in a few months, and really closed the gap between Deaf and hearing people.”
He added: “What’s she’s doing raising awareness is amazing, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that the majority of disabled people feel like they’ve been swept under the carpet during the pandemic.
“I never saw myself as vulnerable, we’re often told not to speak about our disability and to focus on our strengths, so being forced to categorise as clinically vulnerable felt quite patronising and demeaning.
“Often there has been a one size fits all approach. For example, people seem to think it’s fine to take off their masks because I’m a Deaf person, thinking that I’m somehow exempt from catching Covid.”
When he's not dancing, Jasper runs D/deaf and disability awareness training for organisations and also help D/deaf and disabled people claim PIP.
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