A Co Tyrone singer who won BBC talent show The Voice is among 11 deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists who been awarded funding to help develop their work and enable them to reach new audiences.
Andrea Begley is one of a group of performers who have each been awarded £1,000 through the Creating Time Awards 2020/21, a grant programme run by the University of Atypical.
The awards are the first in a series of grant programmes funded by Unlimited and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation to support Northern Ireland's deaf and disabled artists.
The funding can be used to access mentoring to enhance knowledge or skills, develop new ways to promote their work, or simply buy the time needed to continue with their professional practice.
Andrea said the grant would help her develop her audience reach and generate new products.
"As a visually impaired artist there are some things that I struggle to do and this grant will afford me the time and expertise of someone who is sighted to collaborate with me," she said.
"Many online and digital platforms aren't built in an accessible way, so a task like setting up an email marketing list for my fans is impossible for me.
"With the grant, I also plan to develop designs for merchandise that can be sold along with CDs. It's something I've wanted to do for some time."
Sean Fitzsimons, chairman of the University of Atypical, said: "Covid-19 has caused great difficulties for many people in our community - especially the deaf and disabled artists - but thanks to the generosity of Unlimited and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, we are able to provide much needed funding to help deaf and disabled artists continue working and to facilitate career development opportunities."
