Disability
I was officially diagnosed as Autistic in 2021, at the age of 22. It was not a massive shock to me. In fact during my diagnosis interviews we mainly talked about Lord of the Rings.
I was diagnosed with Aspergers before the term was taken out of medical diagnosis. To offer context Hans Asperger was an Austrian doctor who tested upon and sent children and adults with learning difficulties to death camps in Nazi-occupied Europe. The National Autistic Society have an easy to understand page on this, here.
Social Model of Disability
I as a lot of disabled people use 'the social model of disability'. To put it plainly, it's our society that disables us rather than our own identities.
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When we address and fix the issues within our society, from public view, architectural design and systematic discrimination, disability won't be be the barrier that currently exists for so many.
Image taken from Inclusion London
Access Rider
Access Riders are documents which can help disabled artists by allowing them to provide information and solutions so that work practices don't become a barrier to their profession.
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So rather than asking for no blue M&M's, it's about providing solutions and ways of working that doesn't disable the artist.
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I personally think that an Access Rider should be a working document, which basically means that it can always be edited and changed, because we as people constantly change.
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You can see an example of an Access Rider, specifically mine, by clicking here, or by clicking the image.
How Can Theatre Processes Be Accessible To Autistic People?
During my third year at one of the best drama schools in the world, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, I had my dissertation module. It was changed to performance research, as to not intimidate the students with having to write 5000 words, all of which are graded.
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I had found myself working solo. Originally my dissertation was going to be about how conflict and revolution change theatre, and vice versa. However, this changed the more I thought about what autism is and how I have been disabled, in my time at the oh-so-special Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and in other rehearsal spaces.
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I have had first hand experience of the much needed and incredible work that groups like 'Wolds Wonders' achieve, not as a participant but as a facilitator. I question why there is not more inclusion and diversity in 'mainstream' theatre, why must disabled performers make disabled theatre?
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So i set about writing my graded 5000 words on autism, and how rehearsals can be made accessible.
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If you would like to read those 5000 words you can do so here, or by clicking on the image of the cover of my dissertation.
