SEATBELT: An Integration of Mixed Abilities and Performance and Practice

Abstract

This paper is a critical engagement with scholarly research, my thesis play and performance, and personal experience as an actor and artist living with disability. My thesis reflects the influence inequality and segregation within society have on artists with disabilities who so often have to work in ableist performance systems with able-bodied artists. My research focused on finding the best methods to reach integrated performance. There is a negative perception that lingers with the association of disability culture and professional performance. In my arguments, I include disability arts activists, such as Simi Linton and Petra Kuppers, because they speak to the insecurities held by the disabled community and what influences are at the root of the problem. In my play and performance, entitled Seatbelt, I utilize the mediums of theatre and film to influence a wide audience. Artistic work and this paper explore the integration of mixed abilities in performance, the theory of symbolic interactionism, the benefits of qualitative research and embodied communication methods applied in the production process, and the affectivity of writing and devising autobiographical art. Ultimately, I use these tools to argue that professional performance can be achieved successfully when integrating disabled and non-disabled actors/artists, and that it can build a positive reference of equality for the audience, and in turn, influence society to become more inclusive.