According to official sources, sign language artists are often referred to accessibility assignments due to a lack of their own stages and funding. Mindy Drapsa, artistic director for Riksteatern Crea, noted that accessibility has money and resources and attracts sign language artists. Juli af Klintberg, who works as a sign language artist and at SVT Språk och tillgänglighet, handles sign language interpretation for Melodifestivalen, illustrating this trend.
In accessibility assignments, sign language artists must adapt their expression to the source language and make a translation of it, which becomes limiting, according to Mindy Drapsa. Investments in accessibility have taken space from free sign language art, she added. Free sign language art lacks forums, places, and funding almost completely, according to SVT Nyheter, which paraphrased Drapsa's description.
Many sign language artists around Sweden lack a place to develop and be seen, according to Juli af Klintberg. Riksteatern Crea has a stage for sign language art, but it is not enough for everyone, according to SVT Nyheter, which paraphrased Klintberg's description. The problem is fundamentally cultural-political, according to Mindy Drapsa.
When the needs of the deaf are primarily described as an accessibility issue, resources also end up there, she noted. According to SVT Nyheter, Drapsa described that if the deaf movement and local associations are silent, there is a risk that hearing people invest in accessibility instead, so money ends up there and not with free sign language art. More research, clearer concepts, and reviews are needed for sign language art to gain greater recognition, according to official sources.
Specific funding amounts allocated to accessibility versus free sign language art in Sweden are not publicly detailed, and the number of sign language artists currently working in Sweden remains unclear.