Lowry marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities
To mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities Lowry was pleased to host an event for staff and volunteers. It included talks from Michael Allen, Lowry's Access Ambassador; Ash Cox, Previous Local Cultural Education Partnerships Supporter, Disabled Artist and Access Consultant; and a live performance from Scarlett-Rose Lovette, who showcased a new song from her upcoming EP. For our blog we chatted to them about International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and what it means to them.
Michael Allen, what does IDDP mean to you?
As someone who has been blind since birth, I never really gave much thought to IDPD or similar initiatives. I simply get on with life, taking each day as it comes. However, being asked to write about this has prompted me to reflect on its significance.
There are many disabled individuals who have achieved remarkable success in leadership and other fields. But success shouldn’t be solely defined by societal perceptions. It can be about accomplishing something that holds personal importance. Personal achievements are equally as valuable as running a major company, holding office, or excelling in sports or entertainment.
Reflecting on my accomplishments over the years, I feel proud of my work as a customer service specialist at Viking Direct, where I have dedicated the past 20 years. I share an equal position with my fellow workers and have consistently strived to excel in my role. My current position at Lowry has provided me with the opportunity to promote and advocate for access provision for all disabled visitors. I am grateful for the recognition I received when I was offered this role, as it demonstrated that my skills and contributions were valued by the organization.
I believe that celebrating IDDP will inspire more disabled individuals to aspire to a future where equality prevails, regardless of disability. We should celebrate the person, not the disability. I find it frustrating when people say, “Aren’t you good” because I can do something that I feel is very simple. I want people to recognize me for who I am and my accomplishments alongside able-bodied individuals.
The perception of disability is widely misunderstood by many individuals, including our own knowledge of disabilities that differ from our own. Celebrating IDPD provides an opportunity to broaden people’s understanding, enabling them to provide more effective support for individuals with diverse disabilities.
In light of this reflection, I have come to appreciate our role as disabled people and the potential we have to empower ourselves to achieve greater things, regardless of the nature of those achievements big or small.
Ash Cox, why is it important to be an ally and mark International Day Of Persons With Disabilities together?
The last UK census in 2021 tells us that there are around 270,000 people living in Salford. 21.2% are disabled or chronically ill, that’s over 57,000 people. (By the way, I’m a creative and I missed my calculator GCSE because I was poorly, but the internet tells me this math is correct!).
I’m one of those disabled people, so is my mum, my neighbour, and many of my friends and colleagues. You might also identify as one of those people. You might become one of those people, temporarily, from illness or an injury. You will most likely become one of those people because aging and illness disables us. Disability is a part of being human and it affects all of us.
Our society is inherently ableist-capitalist, which affects both disabled and non-disabled people - like when we feel guilty about taking time to rest. Sound familiar? This is why allyship is so vital - it serves everyone. Without activists, artists for social change and allies, people like me can go 30 years without support, without realising their potential, without access to equitable opportunities, without being able to communicate their needs and advocate for themselves. So don’t just do allyship because your workplace told you it’s a compulsory part of your job or because it makes you look good. Nobody needs performative or insincere allyship, it’s really damaging. Do intersectional allyship and do it purposefully and meaningfully. Because when we do, it can create real change.
In the 37 square miles that we call home, there’s over 57,000 disabled people. Are we serving them? Are we including them? How can we do better? Us Salfordian’s are renowned for saying it like it is, looking after one another and having a lot of pride and spirit. So let’s stick our necks out, rock the boat and shatter the glass ceiling of Salford and beyond!
Happy International Day Of Persons With Disabilities and Happy UK Disability History Month!
Scarlett-Rose Lovette, how are you marking IDDP as a disabled person, and how can we do so as allies?
I am marking IDDP24 by releasing my new single under my 'scarœ' pseudonym: ‘BY DESIGN//DESIGNED BY'. This introspective, cyberpunk bop contemplates how human 'data' is stored in the body in relation to hidden disability and illness; in my case, with Functional Seizures.
I often compare my nervous system as its own AI model that has been trained to perceive and respond to certain ‘triggers’ in a certain way over time. Each spasm or tick is an output. The input, though, is shrouded in mystery; hidden. In order to begin to understand my Functional Neurological Disorder, I need to examine the hidden history of my nervous system. But how the heck do you do that? For me, it’s about analysing patterns: the very fingerprints of our neurological design. There is a music in our patterns; always a rhythm to find. If my FND was music, it wouldn’t be a genre, it would just be an offbeat rhythm. You can dance to any genre if you find the rhythm! I think, partially, why doctors struggle to treat FND is because they are too concerned with what the genre it is rather than what the rhythm is. 'BY DESIGN//DESIGNED BY’ is about learning that dance. I don’t know it off by heart yet, I don’t think I ever will, but there is beauty in that.
My friends and ‘PSEUDO’ band: Danny and Jack, helped me to translate ‘the FND dance’ musically in this song. There is a sense of inability to chase the synthy echo that pendulums from ear to ear; never quite settling, and the guitar riffs that feel like you are walking on hot coal. It’s sort of spiritual, a matrix of sound, ever in flux.
‘BY DESIGN//DESIGNED BY’ by scarœ is available to stream now on all platforms.