Building Inclusive Recovery through Theatre (BIRTh): people with autism going beyond the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru

To address the increased social isolation and consequent mental distress of neurodiverse young people during the COVID-19 pandemic, who were already experiencing severe marginalisation in Peru, People's Palace Projects/PPP in the Queen Mary University of London Drama Department (UK), Flute Theatre (UK), Teatro La Plaza (Peru) and the Centre of Excellence in Chronic Diseases/CRONICAS (Peru) created Heartbeat; Creating Recovery (AH/V013688/1): a research project that designed, implemented and tested an inclusive, participatory and interactive Spanish language online production of The Tempest (La Tempestad). The production was developed using the Hunter Heartbeat Methodology of drama games, which offer autistic people an opportunity to express themselves in a creative space dedicated to their needs and abilities.

Evaluation of the project was overwhelmingly positive;
*Participants enjoyed themselves while learning skills and building their personal and social capacities.
*Families found an inclusive environment built on trust and noticed reduced levels of mental distress in their children.
*Representatives from arts, health, education and culture called for the project to be incorporated into government and non-governmental services.
*The digital environment provided stable social connections during a period of extreme uncertainty.

However, recent research by Peru's National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disability (CONADIS) emphasises that the long-term discrimination, neglect and marginalisation affecting the neurodiverse community predates the COVID-19 pandemic (CONADIS, 2021). Moreover, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America (CEPAL) are projecting a pessimistic outlook for the future without an urgent overhaul of Disability and neurodiversity policymaking in Latin America (Meresman & Ullmann, 2020). The benefits of engagement with artistic and/or creative activities for neurodiverse people are widely evidenced in government reports, arts and culture surveys and academic literature. But the unparalleled levels of exclusion from culture experienced by autistic people in Latin America is perpetuated by the same Peruvian national policies designed to address structural discrimination. The limited resources and specialist services that are available tend to be concentrated in larger cities, making rural populations, women and Indigenous people the most vulnerable to the correlation between Disability, poverty and social exclusion (CONADIS, 2021). Making resources available beyond geographical barriers and deliverable in community settings is clearly essential to addressing access to services and reaching communities threatened by intersecting vulnerabilities.

The Follow-On project will focus on touring a live and online production of The Tempest (La Tempestad) in Peru, which has been determined as the most effective way to enhance the value and extract the maximum benefit from the original research project. By developing a toolkit of activities to accompany the production, the Follow-On project will achieve significant social and cultural impact as well as provide a transferable and low-cost model that can be scaled up by stakeholders and policymakers. This Follow-On will demonstrate that Heartbeat is a programme that can be flexibly delivered in a variety of settings, including in rural and hard-to-reach communities that urgently need support services. Sharing accessible resources with larger audiences through high-profile performance events, stakeholder roundtables and an impactful communications campaign that raise awareness of autism, this Follow-On applies the methods identified by members of the Disabled and neurodiverse community in Peru for improving their quality of life (CONADIS, 2021).