September, 2005

The most serious barriers for people with disabilities are rooted in a culture not of our own making, in which “disability” is constructed as an intrinsically negative state of being.  The assumption is that we live lives of deprivation lacking in value, intellect, emotion, or usefulness.  Those of us who experience “disability” – hereditary, congenital or acquired – are left with a profoundly taxing, negative sense of self that influences our whole lives.

And then there is the false notion that “disability” has one face.  As a result, “The Disabled” are lumped together with little regard for distinctions in age, gender, ethnic or cultural background, source or origin of disability, or our personal preferences.

It has been twenty-five years since I acquired my disability and came face to face with the way these barriers work in our society. Since then, I have used a variety of strategies to address these barriers to the benefit of people with disabilities. In some instances, I have engaged the mainstream and worked within it.  For example, I make a habit of writing to local publications that use value-laden language when referencing persons with disabilities, offering specific suggestions concerning the practice and philosophy of Person First Language. Similarly, each year I accept numerous invitations to speak at conferences across the country, addressing issues of access to the arts and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Although I am often the first person with a disability to speak at these conferences, I am rarely the last. My trailblazing seems to pave the way for others.

In other instances, I have chosen to make a formal break with the mainstream. When the Minneapolis theatrical community balked at my practice of auditioning for roles not disability-specific (“You realize there are no handicapped characters in this play, don’t you?”), rather than relinquish my dream of a professional theatrical career I undertook graduate study in England and wrote an autobiographical play as my dissertation project. Ten years later, after moving to Georgia and encountering similar resistance within the local theater community, I wrote another.  I perform both pieces periodically across the country. Responses from those who have seen me perform indicate that my artistic activities serve as example and encouragement for other individuals with disabilities who dream of being an artist.

Somewhere in the middle of these choices lies my “day job” as a full-time nonprofit arts administrator in Atlanta. In the past year, I have been promoted by a new executive director and asked to develop a comprehensive continuum of programs and services for artists with disabilities. As I work toward this goal, I find myself thinking about how I can help our organization move beyond the traditional “charity” model of service to individuals with disabilities to create structures for, by, and with people with disabilities that can give us a sense of our collective power. The Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award offers a superb opportunity for me to enhance my knowledge and skills as a regional leader of professional development programs and services for artists with disabilities.

During the award year, Russell Granet, Director of Professional Development with NYC’s Center for Arts Education, will support the growth of my abilities as an arts administrator and help further develop my expertise in working with artists with disabilities. Through at least one site visit to the Center and ongoing communications throughout the year, Mr. Granet will help me identify the best national practices in the field. The end result will be a first for the nation: the first comprehensive continuum of professional development services for artists with disabilities designed by an artist with a disability.

The Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award will validate my commitment to create and disseminate positive public images of persons with disabilities, and acknowledge my efforts to establish my own career as an artist.  The award will augment my credibility within the disability, arts, and education communities, and provide additional financial resources for deepening and broadening my ongoing professional development.  It will affirm that I do not strive in isolation; I am but one of literally millions of Americans with disabilities determined to be full citizens of our communities, our country, our world.