Inclusion in Action: The Disability Inclusion Action Plan

Tue 1 Sep 2026

In August 2026, QAGOMA launched its Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), reaffirming a longstanding commitment to access and inclusion. The DIAP provides a framework for embedding inclusive practice across all areas of the Gallery, informed by the lived experiences of people with disability.

The DIAP signals the Gallery’s ongoing commitment to deepening inclusion across the organisation’s culture and practices. Travelling beyond the provision of access, our approach to the DIAP aims to support meaningful cultural participation: it presents a framework for embedding inclusive practices Gallery-wide. Guided by organisational and governmental commitments, at the heart of this work is the importance of lived experience: by centring the voices of people with disability, we mean to foster a genuine sense of belonging and to ensure that our programs and initiatives are shaped by, and responsive to, real-world experience.

Watch | Accessible art experiences

Cooper’s experience at the Gallery reflects this approach at a practical level. Friendly, curious and imaginative, Cooper is driven by a genuine interest in people and the world around him. He especially enjoys gaming and Dungeons & Dragons, sharing that he found a similar creative energy and strong sense of connection at the Gallery and adding, importantly, that he ‘felt welcome and happy there’. In 2024, while completing his final year of secondary school, Cooper undertook a work experience placement at QAGOMA as part of a customised employment approach for young people with disability. The placement was an opportunity to explore his strengths, build confidence, and better understand what work could look like, while also building connections with staff across the Gallery. ‘I liked meeting new people. They were nice and friendly,’ he says. Supported to work in modes that suited him, Cooper could contribute to the team and experience the value of that contribution. His warmth, humour and enthusiasm made a lasting impression on staff, pointing to the mutual benefits of creating inclusive workplace opportunities.

Cooper

For Cooper’s mum, Deb, this sense of inclusion is critical and highlights the importance of diversity. ‘Inclusive workplaces lead with openness, respect and a genuine belief that all people belong,’ she says. This approach translated into real outcomes for her son. ‘Work experience gave him a confidence boost and a belief in what’s possible.’ Since finishing school, Cooper has continued to build on this foundation, is now working part time and launching his own small business. His experience shows how creating welcoming, diverse environments and providing opportunities for meaningful engagement can support people with disability, building the kind of confidence that comes from seeing ourselves reflected positively in the space around us.

Watch | Martin’s story

Terry’s experience resonates with Cooper’s, though from a different angle, having attended access tours at the Gallery since 2010 alongside his lifelong friend, John. ‘Art brought us together,’ John notes, recalling their friendship and their shared visits to the Gallery. Terry and John met at secondary school in the late 1950s. About a year after leaving school, Terry lost his sight after a retinal haemorrhage: ‘You can see one minute and the next minute you can’t’, he recalls. Determined to continue his education, he learned to read and write Braille, went on to study at university, and built a long career as a social worker.

John and Terry

Alongside this work, Terry was also deeply involved in disability advocacy, and served as president of the Queensland branch of the National Federation of Blind Citizens for ten years (from 1992). Years later, John, who was working with Brisbane City Council’s Community and Arts office, introduced Terry to art and cultural tours around Brisbane, experiences that would eventually lead them both to QAGOMA.

Watch | Kimberley’s story

As a person who is blind, Terry’s experience of art is shaped by audio descriptions, interpretation and touch. Access tours have allowed him to engage more fully, building a deeper understanding of art and the ideas behind them. ‘You have to stop and contemplate . . . It’s the experience and the story behind the work that stays with you’, he explains. Terry’s perspective also challenges a common assumption ‘that [people who are blind] wouldn’t be interested in the visual concept of art’, adding ‘but you know what they say when people assume things!’ One of his stand-out encounters at QAGOMA was with the work of Olafur Eliasson, installed for the exhibition ‘Presence’, which closed in July 2026. On its depth of material and sensory detail, Terry comments that ‘the amount of work the artist has put in . . . using everything from moisture to light to different textures’, helped to build a strong sense of place and atmosphere.

Another exhibition that made an atmospheric impression on Terry was ‘Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles’, organised by Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, which toured to QAGOMA in 2022. Noting his ‘vague idea of Chiharu’s concepts’ before attending the exhibition, Terry added that ‘only by being present in the same space could I gain some understanding of her work’.

Chiharu Shiota A question of perspective 2022

Terry recalls a tactile experience that deepened his engagement with the exhibition: ‘My appreciation was enhanced by being able to touch part of her creations’, he reflected, praising a model of the artist’s Collection work A question of perspective 2022 (commissioned 2022 with funds from Tim Fairfax AC through the QAGOMA Foundation) as being ‘worth ten thousand words’. Constructed especially by the QAGOMA Workshop team, the tactile model of the work’s key features allowed for an enhanced understanding of the large-scale installation. For Terry, experiencing art in this way deepens his connection not only to an artist and their ideas but also, through them, to the wider world.

Both Cooper’s and Terry’s experiences demonstrate the power of inclusion in action. The QAGOMA DIAP builds on important accounts like this to set a clear direction forward, strengthening the Gallery as a place of lasting connection and belonging, where people with disability can actively shape its future.

Watch | Dinesh's story

Watch | Lachlan’s story

Laura Walker is Program Officer, Access, QAGOMA

The QAGOMA Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2026–31 can be viewed online or visit the Gallery’s Access programming and initiatives for more information.

Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)
Brisbane, Australia