Disabled Adults
People with disabilities suffer from an extremely low status in Cambodia: it is virtually impossible for them to gain employment and recognition that they have something positive to offer society. As part of the Angkor Photography Festival 2006, a team of international artists and therapists worked on an outreach project in partnership with a local charity for disabled people, mostly landmine victims, called Angkor Assocation for the Disabled.
Isabelle Rodker, Sangeeta Isvaran, Paula Holme and Hazel Thompson worked together with AAD to establish a theatre company consisting of people with disabilities. The company was prepared through a series of arts therapy and performance skills workshops to create a show exploring the issues of and promoting human rights for people with disabilities in Cambodia. It was one of the Festival highlights, and regular performances are held in local hotels, providing the company members with a sustainable income.
In the spirit of the Angkor Photography Festival's goal to help Cambodians help themselves, a Cambodian manager was trained during the project to ensure the troupe can support itself independently. With the help of AAD, the company plans to travel amongst different communities performing the piece.
