Without Words (WW) is a collaboration between arts and disability organisations across Europe to investigate the potential for cross cultural communication through visual storytelling. The project will explore and identify how creative and nonverbal mediums such as dance, music, mask, puppetry and physicality can be used to increase access for disabled people across Europe. The project will work specifically, but not exclusively with, people who have learning disability, sensory or neurological impairment. It will explore concepts of non-verbal communication and it’s use within disability arts, asking how we can use them to generate fully inclusive opportunities without compromising artistic quality or disassociating the disabled person. The project will examine how learners can adapt and apply skills learned in their own organisations and will result in an online forum between the organisations and a documentary resource for wider use.WW will bring best practice to the fore, raising the quality and accessibility of learning disabled performance. The project will adopt a methodology whereby all participants are equally involved in practical exploration, discussion and workshops which will allow the partners to research, explore, test and develop new ideas. Through practical explorations of the work of partner organisations, initiating conversations between partners and practical workshops in our own organisations we will• explore different non-verbal mediums in creative work by/for learning disabled people. • develop and test methodologies • explore the process and value of critical thinking.• learn new methods of integrating nonverbal work into performance. • examine the use of non-verbal methods in increasing access for artists and audience • recognise the importance of quality work with/for learning disabled people and raise the aspirations of learning disabled people.Learning Teaching Training Events will run alongside the explorations in order for workers (including those who are learning disabled) to learn techniques that will enable them to embed non-verbal methodologies into their own work. These activities will take place in each partner country and will target arts workers, artists, disability workers and those working within arts and disability from within the partner organisations. 16 places will be available for these LTT activities in each partner country who will work together with staff and groups of up to 20 learning disabled people from each host organisation. It is estimated that 50% of participants attending the LTT from partner countries will be learning disabled. Through a combination of transnational workshops, conversations, learning events, online discussion and evaluation of ongoing activity within partner organisations the project will explore current approaches, experiences and models, investigate what is important and what isn't, explore what works and what doesn't and find ways to communicate that to the current conversations taking place regarding quality, inclusion and learning disability in the arts. More specifically the project will:- challenge preconceptions of learning disabled performance and its aesthetic, - enable learning disabled people to be more active both within the partner organisations and within their communities - enable learning disabled people to learn the importance of accessibility in their work so they are more able to compete within the mainstream - develop the confidence and self- esteem of learning disabled people and increase their motivation and understanding of what they can achieve - provide european platforms for the work of learning disability artists - create new opportunities for the participating organisations to expand their current programme of work - create new opportunities for both learners and staff through the learning of new skills and working practices - enable participating organisations and those working within those organisations to progress within their field – improve language and communication skills of learners and staff involved in the project - a greater awareness of the role disadvantaged people can play in the social, economic and cultural life of their communities - contribution to the current national debates on quality and learning disability in the arts - bringing a European perspective to the current debates on quality and learning disability in the arts - a raised profile of the use of the arts as a tool for change - a stronger European arts and disability community working for the benefits of learning disabled people and in the current and longer term, add value to the existing debates on quality and learning disability in the arts.