Ms Emilie Conway:

I am grateful for the opportunity to address the committee today. As my family is from Mayo, I will first quote some lines by Raifteirí, the Mayo poet:

Mise Raifteirí an file,

Lán dóchas is grá,

Le súile gan solas,

Le ciúnas gan chrá...

Féach anois mé

Mo dhroim le balla,

Ag seinm ceoil

Do phócaí folmha.

That sets the tone and the scene of the reality that faces disabled artists or people with artistic potential who go on to dare to develop that because supports are withdrawn. As we know from our art history, what Ireland is, what it has become, our culture and who we are have been dependent on patronage. It is very interesting to see throughout history what happened where that patronage failed. If, for example, Harriet Weaver had not assisted James Joyce with his eye operations, would we have Ulysses? However, this is actually what the State does right now to disabled artists; it removes their disability supports.

It was a culmination of this that led to the foundation of Disabled Artists, Disabled Academics, DADA, when, in 2020, we were pressured into growing due to the lack of representation of our voice and our experience as disabled artists. We are a grassroots, voluntary, disability-led movement which is completely unfunded. Our mission is to achieve greater equity for disabled artists by challenging and offering solutions to the barriers to our full participation, integration and contribution to the arts, culture and education, in particular, and by extension to the economy and the whole of Irish society in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD.

My summary will mostly refer to our submission from 27 January on this topic. I will briefly outline the barriers. The barriers are the physical, psychological, sensory, emotional, energetic and intellectual limitations of our disabilities which are real and reduce earning power, productivity and the kind of work we can do in a competitively, open, ableist market. The barriers are also attitudinal where we have ableism. Non-disabled people stereotype and make assumptions about what disabled people can do, our capability and our potential.

They are physical and environmental, such as the inaccessibility of many spaces. This has a particular effect in the arts because, as we know, developing a craft depends greatly on being able to access what I call incubator spaces where the pressure is low and people can develop their work without significant financial outlay. Many of these places are not accessible. There is also a very low rate of accessible formats, which is also physical and environmental. There are also the systemic barriers, as I referred to at the start with Raifteirí - the supports are withdrawn for someone who earns over €165 a week. That money, of course, may come from earning a competitive award from the Arts Council, a commission or bursary. It is a completely disabling structure for artistic disabled people.

What we need is full implementation of the UNCRPD which would see disabled artists supported and the playing field levelled. We are not looking for a handout we are looking for a hand up, rather than being systemically and systematically thwarted in our self-determination for daring to develop our talents and contribute to our culture and society. Needless to say, if all of this were changed, it would of course benefit older people because what is done for disabled people will open the door for older people to continue their work.

To implement the UNCRPD, we have specific recommendations, with disabled artists at the core of them. I have a model of integration which has three things, the first of which is representation of disabled artists. We need documentation consistently throughout the process of what is working and what is not working to build some resources. We also need support. Having a disability is a full-time job. Advocating is a full-time job. Being an artist is a full-time job and therefore we need additional support.

That model of integration, representation, documentation and support, RDS, should be applied to the formation of a task force. The Minister has frequently made use of task forces and they work. Regrettably the task force that recommended the basic income had no representation by disabled artists. The task force on the night-time economy also has no representation of disabled people. Most disabled artists could not avail of the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, scheme because people on disability allowance were not eligible. During the pandemic disabled people not only lost medical supports but also got no support for the pandemic or for loss of work. That is why the task force must have representation by disabled creative people within the arts.

The other recommendation is for what I am calling a graded system of access declaration whereby similar to the way in which restaurants get a number of Michelin stars according to the standards of their food and restaurant, we would have stars according to the access available. This could be anything from the most basic accessible toilets to whether disabled people are actually working in the venue. Disabled people could then make informed choices about what venues we attend and do not.

This system of access declaration would also inspire venues and cultural institutions to up their access game.

Another recommendation is to make the process and structure of applying for arts funding responsive to the real access needs of disabled artists and arts workers. At present, the formats with which one can apply for grants and awards are quite restricted. They need to be broadened out to respect the UNCRPD. There should be a rolling deadline because if someone has a flare-up of his or her illness, he or she will miss that particular round and opportunity and will potentially lose his or her place in his or her career. We need a rolling deadline and a greater degree of accessible formats.

Another recommendation is for a disabled artists' fund. The Department of Social Protection withdraws the supports we crucially need for our disabilities and we then have to create artwork without them. I am asking this Department to set up a disabled artists' fund. For example, I spent nearly €2,000 on vision aids in March, which I do not have. We need a disabled artists' fund to fund things like that. This fund could also support us when, due to our illnesses, we cannot work. Again, if you lose your disability allowance, or whatever, currently present you are on your own and if you lose a gig you are on your own. We need to acknowledge that lack.

Based on the seriousness and weight of these unmet needs, we are asking this committee to consistently make the case to Government for changes to dismantle these systemic, environmental, physical and attitudinal barriers. The attitudinal barrier is broken down by our being integrated into the absolute, thoroughgoing, rigorous, consultative, integrated process of decision-making. We want to work together with members and I am very sad to say so far that is not happening in any way. It is poignant we are here today because today the British Council launches its follow-up to the on the move report, which is a transnational discovery of the progress in disability arts. At the core of that is a call for greater integration and a greater strength of policy to support disabled artists. I thank the committee.