Supporting Melbourne’s d/Deaf and Disabled artists through The Warehouse Residency 

The Warehouse Residency is Arts House’s flagship programme for supporting d/Deaf and Disabled artists across Australia. Commissioned by the City of Melbourne, the residency provides dedicated time, resources, and funding for the development of new interdisciplinary works. 

Launched in 2021 and co-designed with artists and Arts Access Victoria, the programme advances a disability justice framework and centres the social model of disability. At its core, the residency seeks to redistribute creative power, supporting bold artistic visions through access-led practice and sector leadership. 

Creating space for disability-led creative leadership 

The programme was developed in response to the systemic underrepresentation of d/Deaf and Disabled artists in the cultural sector. Barriers include limited funding pathways, low access budgets, and a lack of support for disability-led producing roles. Many artists must rely on personal resources or disability pensions to develop work. 

Internally, the programme has also had to evolve rapidly. No two access needs are alike, making a flexible, non-prescriptive approach essential. Programme designers are continually responding to complexity in real-time, challenging rigid models of artist support. 

A framework for equity, flexibility, and care 

Each Warehouse Residency offers up to AU$48,000 in support, covering artist fees, producer time, and access costs. Residencies last up to eight weeks at Arts House, where artists work in fully accessible spaces with support from a dedicated producer, coordinator, and access advisor. 

Between 2026 and 2028, the programme will expand to include mentorship for d/Deaf and Disabled producers to build project management and artist liaison skills; increased access budgets by up to 20% to ease pressure on artists using disability pensions to support their residency participation; and new support to explore hybrid, interactive and digitally scalable formats to expand audience reach. 

Impacting artists, policy, and audiences 

Since its launch, The Warehouse Residency has supported over 40 creatives and nine major projects – including Deaf-led operas, explorations of Autistic culture via puppetry, and works centered on queer disabled love. 

The programme has also forged major sector partnerships, including with Melbourne Fringe’s Radical Access and Alter State at Arts Centre Melbourne, boosting platform and visibility of participating artists. 

Artists have credited the program with enabling ambitious creative visions and providing genuine leadership opportunities. As artist Jamila Main notes: 

“This residency is a unique, robust, and vital platform… allowing d/Deaf and Disabled artists to pursue the heights of their artistic visions.” 

Shifting structures through public investment 

The Warehouse Residency advances the City of Melbourne’s goals around access, diversity, and equity in the cultural sector. More than a residency, it exemplifies how public investment in inclusive artistic infrastructure can deliver transformative outcomes for both artists and audiences, truly reflecting the diversity of contemporary Australian society.