During the Nazi regime, thousands of Deaf people were subjected to forced sterilisation in the belief that they were a burden to society and the state and with the anticipation that disability could be eliminated in future Aryan generations. Chapter, rooted in the heart of Cardiff, Wales, will create a Deaf-led project which aims to reflect on this history and collective trauma and to uniquely explore what freedom means through the lens of Deaf creativity in Wales, centring their lived experiences today.

Commissioning early-career Deaf practitioners to create work responding to the theme of the programme and working with Deaf audiences who are often excluded from participation and engagement in cultural projects, the project outcomes will be presented at Deaf Gathering Cymru, Wales’s largest Deaf-led creative festival, held at Chapter in November 2025.