RAWD’s Protest Against Passiveness: Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You

Posted on 23/06/2025 | by Uncover

Arts organisation RAWD launch their biggest show to date during Disability Pride Month. Artistic Director Steffi Sweeney talks about how their members are continuing a tradition of pride and protest.

A New Chapter For RAWD

The RAWD Protest began long ago. Almost ten years on, the drum is still banging, the flag is still flying and now… the phone is ringing. 

This July marks a major milestone for RAWD. We officially launch as a charity – and we’re doing it the only way we know how: with bold creativity, fierce pride, and stages full of disabled artists. Across the month our artists are premiering directorial film debuts at FACT, performing live music gigs at the Valley Theatre in Belle Vale and, as is RAWD tradition, there will be disabled artists packing out stages across the North West.

But to understand where we’re going, it helps to look at where we’ve been. RAWD began over a decade ago as a disability drama group meeting weekly in a church hall. Since then, we’ve grown into an arts organisation with a mission to tackle inequality and celebrate disabled creativity. Our projects include ‘Boards Are Boring’, which challenged governance structures; ‘Creative Wellness’ exploring inclusive wellbeing; and our ongoing Facilitator Training Programme, which empowers the next generation of inclusive practitioners.

Pride, Protest, and Performance

To mark our new chapter as a charity, we’re presenting our biggest-ever month of activity for Disability Pride Month. This year is a key juncture for our organisation as we transition to a registered charity. It is also an important moment for our community as rights are rolled back and vital support is under threat. With our programme of activity in Disability Pride Month we want to make a statement.

Leading our programme is a show with a driving purpose. Partnering with Liverpool’s award-winning clown company Ugly Bucket, Don’t Call Us We’ll Call You has a cast of 35. The show continues another proud tradition of RAWD’s: amplifying the lived experiences of our community. However this time, it hits different. 

“The show is blunt, important and completely stupid.” 
Tom Daly, RAWD Member. 

The questions our members are asking while developing Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You are: what is protest and where do we fit in this fight? We knew this topic would be difficult to approach so partnering with Ugly Bucket felt like a perfect match to bring levity and power to the project. A company well versed in tackling difficult subjects and presenting important narratives, their techno clown style always delivers their objective: “Taking silliness serious.”

RAWD is adamant that we cannot shy away from the big difficult questions and ultimately our members don’t want to. No-one should be overlooked. It is our strong belief that we have agency to become the changemakers in our own lives, and we need to be part of bigger conversations about the world. In order to equip our members with the tools and skills to do this we “RAWD-ify” the subject matter and broaden our knowledge of what’s come before. 

Learning from the Past, Demanding a New Future

In developing Don’t Call Us…, we have looked back at a century of disabled activism, the history of our rights, and asked what ought to be done now? One member was shocked that the first Disability Pride date was as recent as 1990. RAWD member Mike said: “There may not have been an event, but we’ve always been proud.”

Our research led us to ‘Telethon’ and more specifically the block telethon protests of 1992. Disabled activists gathered outside the LWT Studios on the South Bank to challenge negative stereotypes and patronizing tone being fostered by Telethon. After this protest Telethon was never broadcast again. Johnny Crescendo, a key figure in the protests can be seen wearing a shirt that reads “Piss on Pity”. Regarding the disabled people being exploited by the TV Show the activist said: “‘Please and thank you’ were the best lines in their script. Passiveness and helplessness was not attractive to me”.

At RAWD we prioritise the value and necessity of the voices of our community. Our work is centered around the perspectives and opinions our members want to uncover. There is a failure within the system that neglects the view of learning disabled people. An assumption that societal barriers limit not only ability but the desire to be an active citizen. 

Don’t Call Us We’ll Call You is a direct protest against these assumptions. A ticket to our show is also an invitation to join the movement, stand beside us and a call to action.  

We ask every artist in the city: 

  • What are you doing for disability awareness month?

  • Do you support disability theatre?

  • Can you join us in the RAWD MOVEMENT?

Don’t Call Us We’ll Call You is part of RAWD’s charity launch programme.