What does the idea of disability bring to your mind? For most able-bodied people, the thought of disability is not pleasant, and one clouded by fear. However, this is far from a productive, helpful way of thinking. In reality, disability is just another aspect of human existence. In August 2017, I travelled to Hong Kong and observed Bellini Yu’s work with i-dArt and her group of artists at Tung Wah Group Hospital. Subsequently, motivated by my observations from i-dArt, I attended the Arts and Disability International Conference in Singapore this year. From this, and my subsequent experiences of working with visually impaired people for a research project, I began to understand that both people with and without disability have much to gain from art that is centred on the experiences of disability. The arts can be used to unlock the potential of people with disability as well as to increase their visibility in society. It is therefore a medium to nurture a caring society, one that caters to a broad range of diversity.

In the field of aesthetics, artwork by disabled people is valued for its creator’s ability to see the world through a different set of experiences, such that it is more“authentic”and unique. Such art is termed“outsider art”, the first historical example being the curatorial work of art historian and psychiatrist Hans Prinzhorn. His collection of artworks by the inmates of a psychiatric institution is an important reference for artists as prime examples of art brut (“raw art”).

During the True Colours concert, which was held as the closing act of the conference in Singapore, such raw authenticity could certainly be admired in many of the performers. For instance, Wheelsmith (real name Danial Bawthan) rapped with great intensity about the sense of exclusion he has had as someone who is wheelchair-bound in Singaporean society, so intensely that one could not help but feel affected. I must admit that I teared up when watching the wheelchair dance troupes, Srisangwan Chiangmai School, and We Are One from India, and an international group of b-boy dancers called ILL-Abilities who have limb impairment and who spun around so much that it seemed they had wings. Aside from the talent of all these performing artists, there was something more, something unique, that kept the audience on the edge of their seats, cheering at every difficult feat achieved onstage. But disabled arts should not be merely prized for its ability to challenge societal and aesthetic norms, and for its “difference”.

While the performers at the True Colours concert were indeed world- class talent, in general, audiences watching “disabled” casts perform are more easily impressed than when watching able-bodied casts, mainly because they are not represented enough in mainstream media. This sense of being differentiated by disability rather than their capabilities, and held to often lower standards, is something many disabled artists feel uncomfortable about. Furthermore, Kate Hood, Artistic Director of Raspberry Ripple Productions, a theatre company that works with disabled actors, argued during her keynote speech at the conference that what benefits the disabled community is not arts based on sympathy towards the disabled identity — but representation in the mainstream arena of arts. Why not a King Lear performed by an actor who walks with a crutch, or uses a hearing aid? Disability could add dimension to a role, especially in industries notorious for miscasting able-bodied actors into roles of disabled characters. The concept of a festival that showcases only disabled artists is driven by the need to increase awareness and give these performers a chance to showcase their talents. It is necessary to push in this direction until the goal of making the presence of disabled people in any industry a norm has been reached.

The keyword here is representation, and it is vital to the sense of self-identity disabled people have. This concept finds greatest resonance with the affirmation model of disability. It differs from the more dominant model of disability, which sees it as a tragedy or a problem, and often approaches it with sympathy, perhaps borne out of a collective personal fear that this may also happen to one who is able-bodied. Contrary to this pessimistic view of life after disability, members of the disabled community live full lives, and often have more time and energy to pursue passions like the arts due to not needing to conform to society’s requirements.

Representation in the arts by disabled artists is important in order to show that the disabled identity is not an “Other” to the norm; there is no such thing as the norm. Instead, there is a spectrum of bodies in terms of (dis)ability. The power of the arts to represent disability (in terms of disabled experiences and disabled artists) in turn would help disabled people assert their sense of identity, and create more understanding and acceptance within society at large. Over time, a more compassionate society could emerge, in which flexibility and understanding for the individual are upheld rather than rigid requirements assuming the able-bodied as the norm. The acceptance of other kinds of diversity, such as of race, religion and gender would be more likely in such an atmosphere of empathy. Jo Verrent, founder of Sync, a UK-based leadership-development programme for disabled people, reasons that leaders with disabilities will be more understanding of the different needs of their employees, resulting in better work environments.

The work that Pete Sparkes does in Drake Music Scotland and Bellini Yu’s work in i-dArt are inspiring models of affirmative art practice for the disabled. Sparkes works with young musicians with disabilities that make it difficult for them to use conventional music instruments, such that they used specially designed music technologies to perform as the Digital Orchestra at the True Colours concert. Yu has developed a three-year-long art development programme catered to intellectually and physically disabled patients based in Tung Wah Group Hospital. For each participant-artist of either programme, a sense of pride and self-fulfilment is derived through artistic creation. At i-dArt, students have multiple opportunities to showcase their work to the public via exhibitions. Drake Music also often performs for the public. Moreover, the arts have great potential as a pedagogical tool for disabled youth with special needs. Key to this is the guidance and patience of teachers broad-minded enough to provide students, regardless of ability, with a holistic education using the arts as a medium and method. Such an education could package vital cognitive and social skills to be more relatable for special-needs students, using artistic processes and participation rather than didactic teaching.

Society has a long way to go in terms of inclusiveness. The arts has a long history of appealing to the empathetic organs of humanity; thus it has the potential to be one of the best tools to combat the fractures society faces nowadays. This could be done by redirecting resources towards the practice of arts by people with disability, allowing those with disabilities to have leadership positions within the arts industry, and ensuring that disabled artists are given sufficient representation. In this way, there will be a brighter future for a society ruled not by a desire to fit into the “norm”, but by compassion and acceptance of
people other than oneself.