Australia celebrates 25 years of national advocacy for arts and disability

As the world celebrates the 25th anniversary of the United Nations’ International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) this year, Australian artists and art-lovers with disability have another reason to celebrate. 2017 also marks 25 years of national, government-funded support and advocacy for arts and disability in Australia, through the not-for-profit organisation Arts Access Australia (AAA).

Established in 1992 to coordinate national advocacy and promote sector development, AAA was the first arts and disability organisation in Australia to become disability-led – a reflection of the ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ principle behind the disability leadership movement.

AAA CEO Meagan Shand says this principle of inclusive participation is one that is underscored in this year’s theme for IDPwD, ‘Transformation towards a sustainable and resilience society for all.’

“The theme of the 2017 IDPwD is derived from the overarching principle to leave no one behind, and speaks to the importance of including people with disability in positions of power and expertise where they can be active contributors and influencers of society,” said Ms Shand. “It is by transforming our leadership, our thinking and our actions in a way that accurately represents our society that we can create a future where inclusiveness is seen as the norm – not as an aspiration.”

Ms Shand said there has been a lot of positive change in the sector over the past 25 years, such as the introduction of the NDIS and its associated Working Group; the first offering of a dedicated national arts and disability funding grant in 2011/12; and the establishment of a national – and for the first time in 2017, international – forum on arts and disability, Meeting Place, to discuss and debate current issues in the sector.

However, she said that reports such as Making Art Work: An Economic Study of Professional Artists in Australia, released earlier this month, highlighted how far Australia has to go.

“Artists with disability continue to be underrepresented in the arts, and those that do work in the sector can expect to earn 42% less than their peers without disability,” Ms Shand said. “That the NDIS barely mentions the arts poses another challenge: that artists with disability are at risk of not getting the support they need to reach their career and employment goals. Increased investment in the sector is required to resolve current inequalities and to allow us to imagine an equitable, tolerant, open and socially inclusive world.

“Each year the IDPwD gives the world an opportunity to reflect on our achievements. But importantly for artists and art-lovers, it is also an annual call-to-action to mobilise our assets and work together in partnership across the country and the world, so that we can build a strong, resilient and sustainable arts and disability sector.”

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Contact

Meagan Shand, CEO Arts Access Australia

Email: info@artsaccessaustralia.org

Tel: +61 419 201 338