The research seeks to answer a seemingly simple yet crucial question: how can higher education in theatre and dance remain accessible to neuroatypical people and/or people with disabilities?

Limited access to tertiary-level training mechanically leads to the underrepresentation of atypical artists on professional stages, thereby contributing to the perpetuation of a homogeneous cultural landscape that effectively excludes atypical bodies and individuals.

Drawing on experiential narratives and on an analysis of the specific context of La Manufacture – Haute école des arts de la scène, the study will aim at identifying concrete obstacles - pedagogical, organizational, and environmental - as well as the resources and levers already present within the institution. The objective is to produce realistic, situated, and actionable recommendations in order to support a lasting transformation of the conditions of access to, and participation in, training programs, in order to enable more neuroatypical artists to enter the performing arts professions not only as exceptions, but as part of an inclusive norm.

The Inclusion research project is based on a qualitative methodology structured around three components. The first examines the educational trajectories of neuroatypical students in higher performing arts schools through semi-structured interviews and life calendars, in order to identify the obstacles and enabling factors they encounter. The second component focuses on La Manufacture, through interviews with staff members and students, to identify the institutional factors shaping accessibility. Finally, the third component aims to formulate concrete recommendations, co-constructed with those involved in the training programs, in order to sustainably support the inclusion of neuroatypical students in tertiary education.

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