Issue Three

1: Welcome from Michèle Taylor, MBE, Director for Change 

This is our Black and white image of Michele Taylor. She has short styled chopped hair, and is wearning black rimmed glasses. She is looking slightly upwards with an interested smilethird edition of The Shift and I hope you enjoy it. It’s been a slightly longer gap this time because of the summer, so it is a packed edition.

We have some more juicy Dilemma Desk questions, further thoughts from me about language, news about Cohort 3, links to photos and videos from our fantastic Constellations of Change event in June, and details of upcoming podcast episodes.

The call-out for Expressions of Interest for Cohort 3 is imminent so watch out for that if you’re considering joining us for this unique year of activity, exploration and learning.

And then there’s Season 3 of the Ramps on the Moon Podcast. I am so proud of this; if you haven’t already, check it out: there’s a direct link on our website, or you can find it ‘wherever you get your podcasts’, as they say.

Finally, a heads up that we will be putting our training fees up for all bookings taken from 1 January 2027, so if you have been thinking about booking training with us – now would be a good time to do that before prices go up!

Let us know if there’s anything you’d like to see in our next edition and tell us what you think about the issues raised.

Michèle

2: On the road and on zoom!

Once again, it’s been a busy and exciting time for us at Ramps on the Moon. The major event was, of course, our celebration of over 10 years of challenging ableism: Constellations of Change on 23 June. We were lucky enough to secure the National Youth Theatre in London to hold our event and everyone there was very helpful and supportive. As I write this, we’re rapidly heading towards September and, honestly, I’m still basking in the positivity of the day. My only regret was that I could not eavesdrop on all the group discussions, but from what I’ve been told, the conversations reached beyond the usual, and ‘shifted the dial’ for a number of people, with ideas and challenges to take back to their organisations.

Thanks to everyone who overcame transport challenges and made the journey on a ridiculously hot day. If you weren’t able to make it (and even if you were!), look out for special podcast episodes featuring the afternoon’s panel discussion session.

Back in April Shosh and I both saw Theatr Clwyd’s production of Under Milk Wood as part of the Craidd initiative. 

It was beautiful, a fabulous ensemble show with seamlessly integrated access tools.

We’ve delivered training including for Disability Arts Online, the National theatre, LW Theatres and Headlong, given presentations including for Creu Cymru, National Youth Dance Company and ABTT, and supported individuals and organisations including Welsh National Opera and Silent Uproar. On top of all that, we continue to work with Reading Rep and the RSC.

I’ve enjoyed delivering training at Sheffield Theatres who continue to be our brilliant host and partner, and Shosh is doing a great job supporting the team there to bring anti-ableism into their everyday work.

Oh, and Shosh, Laura and I had a meeting in a caravan at Rotherham Services. Don’t ask!

Our second cohort completed their formal programme of work with us in May and we are delighted to continue to be available to those organisations.

3: Constellations of Change Event – Celebrating more than a decade of driving anti-ableist change with Ramps

What a celebration!

More than 10 years of Ramps on the Moon. A decade of groundbreaking ideas, creative excellence and real, lasting change in how stories are told, who gets to tell them, and who gets to be part of the performing arts.

Since 2015, Ramps on the Moon has helped drive a powerful anti-ableist movement within mainstream theatre, challenging long-standing systems, changing practices and working alongside organisations across the sector to embed meaningful, lasting change.

This is a groundbreaking achievement. And it belongs to the extraordinary leaders, artists, organisations and changemakers who have helped turn ambition into action and made a definitive shift towards anti-ableism within their own organisations.

So, in June, we came together to celebrate.

At Constellations of Change, we looked back with a sense of just how far we’ve come, celebrated the incredible progress already made, and looked forward with renewed purpose and real ambition.

Together, we launched the next chapter of the movement.

Thank you to every leader, artist and changemaker from across the sector, particularly to our guest speakers, who joined us on a sweltering day in June at the National Youth Theatre. Your energy, commitment and belief in what is possible made it a celebration to remember, and a powerful starting point for what comes next.

Here’s some feedback from participants and a host of photos that captured the day: 

“Great discussions with wonderful people and really seeing the great work others are doing energised me”

Samantha Potts, Royal Ballet and Opera

“It was such a joy to be a part of it and witness your vital and inspirational leadership in action as always “

Paul Roseby, National Youth Theatre

“Sometimes these things can feel like they are treading the same ground and don't go anywhere new - but this felt different."

Maria Thelwell, Mind The Gap

Live panel discussion with Arts Leaders from Constellations of Change Event: A reality check on anti-ableism in the arts today

Podcast artwork with 5 people smiling in a lineUnscripted and live from the Ramps on the Moon Constellations of Change Event at the National Youth Theatre in June 2026. Aspirations, provocations and achievements – how far have we come and where are we now?! Get some great takeaways on accessibility, inclusivity and how things really work in real time.

Guest speakers from left to right:

  • Paul Wilshaw, Poet, Performer, Presenter and Disability Advocate
  • Amir Shoenfeld, Composer, Songwriter and Music Producer
  • Rob Hastie, The National Theatre, Deputy Artistic Director
  • Caitlyn Burt, Lyricist and Dramaturg
  • Hosted by: Michèle Taylor, MBE, Director for Change, Ramps on the Moon

Listen to the full episode below or read the Transcript Ramps on the Moon live Panel Discussion

If you’re interested in joining Cohort 3 and becoming part of our anti-ableist movement – read more here

Join the movement: HERE

4: What are Words Worth? - opinion piece from Michèle Taylor

I’m guessing not many of you will recognise the title as stolen from the lyrics of “Wordy Rappinghood” by Tom Tom Club (1981). I have one of those brains that will dredge up a song from anything that sounds remotely like a lyric, so I now have that rather awful and inane track (sorry to any fans out there) running through my brain as I write this.

Anyway, my point: does language matter? Are words important? In the very first issue of The Shift, I wrote about the word, ‘access’ and I’ve had conversations recently that have challenged me to be more specific about why language matters so much to me, and yet there are times when I can very easily just let it go (uh-oh, more lyrics).

Daniel Stern was an American psychologist who believed that acquiring language is a double-edged sword: having language can enhance and it can also distort. It helps us communicate our experience, thus bringing us closer to others by giving them access to our interior world. However, it can also create distance from the experience because language can never quite capture what that experience was really like (which is one of the reasons art exists).

Stern came to mind as I considered the difference between the times when I’m insistent about language, and the times I’m more relaxed about it. 

I realised that it’s something about whether the words are bringing us closer to anti-ableism and equity, or whether they’re taking us further away from those principles.

In general, the word ‘access’ takes us further from engaging with anti-ableism, and I discussed this in Issue One. But if, for example, a family member asks me how the access was at a theatre or museum, I will answer the question in the way I know they mean it because they are engaging in my real experience of being in a disabling environment or not.

When I am training, I explicitly suggest that participants don’t worry about their language, because a preoccupation with using appropriate terminology takes us away from the stuff that matters during those few hours.

I’d go further, in fact, and suggest that focusing on language alone can mask prejudice, bias and inequity.

To quote another psychologist, Carl Jung said, “Learn your theories as well as you can, but put them aside when you touch the miracle of the living soul”. I’d paraphrase that to suggest that we should, “be as disciplined as we can about our language but be willing to put that discipline aside when we’re talking with people confronting real barriers.”

5: OPEN NOW Expressions of Interest for Arts Leaders - Cohort 3 (2027)

If you’re an arts leader we’d love to offer you the opportunity to join Ramps on the Moon’s groundbreaking Anti-Ableism Change Programme and become part of a third Cohort of senior leaders from across the cultural sector.

The programme is designed to supercharge your organisation’s journey towards embedding anti-ableism into your culture, leadership and ways of working.

Watch and listen to what our cohort partners have to say:

Made up of 12-parts, we all meet one day per month from January 2027, giving you the platform to learn, reflect and develop practical approaches for creating meaningful, lasting organisational change where disabled people can thrive.

You do not need to have all the answers. What matters is a commitment to listen, learn and lead change.

You are now invited to submit your Expression of Interest for the programme:

To be considered, please send us a statement of no more than 300 words telling us:

  1. 1:  Where you are up to in your anti-ableism journey (don’t worry, we won’t be put off if you are right at the beginning).
  2. 2:  What you would like to get out of being part of the cohort.
  3. 3:  The names and job titles of the two executive/senior leaders you are nominating to take part.
 
Email our Director for Change: michele@rampsonthemoon.co.uk
 
For information on The Change Programme visit our page HERE
For more information on Expressions of Interest visit our page HERE

Dilemma Desk Time!

Your space for the bumps, scrapes, difficult conversations and barriers that come with embedding anti-ableism. Michèle Taylor answers those really difficult questions you have – live, unscripted and not seen by her before

Conversations are happening across the sector that never quite make it into the room – this is your space to ask.

You are invited to send in your real dilemmas about embedding anti-ableism in your organisation – whether it’s leadership buy-in, internal resistance, or where things feel stuck.

You can be honest. You can be direct. You can stay completely anonymous, and your question will be put to Michèle with no prep, no script, and no prior warning – live on camera. Her response will be shared right here, at the Shift’s Dilemma Desk

Submit your question below and be part of the conversation:

7: Season Three - the latest podcast episodes

Since our last issue of The Shift, we’ve released three brand-new episodes of the Ramps on the Moon podcast, continuing our conversations about anti-ableism, creativity, leadership and what it really takes to create lasting change across the cultural sector.

Hosted by Michèle Taylor MBE, the podcast goes straight into the heart of mainstream theatre, bringing together artists, leaders and changemakers to explore the realities of putting disabled people at the centre of cultural organisations – the breakthroughs, the challenges, the uncomfortable questions and the possibilities.

If you haven’t yet explored the podcast, there are now 19 episodes to dive into, each offering a different perspective on disability, representation, creativity and organisational change.

And if you’ve been listening already, we hope these latest conversations will challenge your thinking, spark new ideas and keep the conversation moving.

Listen to the Ramps on the Moon podcast →

And, as always, we’d love to hear what you think. What questions are these conversations raising for you? What are you doing differently as a result? And where do we need to go next?

Thank you to Marc at Podtalk for producing our podcast

Resource Hub

Check out our Resource Hub, packed with useful advice, tools, videos and stories from our founders on the legacy of Ramps on the Moon.

Take me to the Ramps Resource Hub

 

Catch up on the last issues of The Shift

Issue one

Issue two

Meet the Ramps team

Contact Ramps on the Moon: 

info@rampsonthemoon.co.uk

The information in this newsletter is provided for general guidance only and may be subject to change. No responsibility is accepted for any actions taken based on its content.