| Abstract/Description |
The arts industry in Australia currently demonstrates a commitment to diversity. d/Deaf, Disabled, and/or Neurodivergent artists - particularly 'invisibly' disabled Neurodivergent artists - have not always felt foregrounded in this discourse. Policy and funding programs have not equalised our education and employment outcomes. In a recent psychology PhD, Christine Antonopoulos (2024) examines policy, stated intention, and workplace practice, finding that - despite stated intentions - 80% of Australians implicitly perceive Disabled people as cold, incompetent, and childlike. In Autism studies, Damian Milton (2012) describes this as a 'double empathy' problem. Neurodivergent ways of communicating, collaborating, and co-working can 'discomfort' Neurotypical workers. Masking to fit in to Neurotypical workplaces, projects, and processes can 'discomfort' Neurodivergent workers. This, theatre maker Alexander Leggett (2023) says, is not a competence problem - it is 'translation' problem. In this article, I draw on education, employment, and arts research, including interviews with Australian artists, to consider strategies to bridge this gap in understanding, and create cultural safety for neurominorities in the performing arts. |
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