Folks, this is one I’ve super excited about, and have been sitting on for a while. It’s such a rich conversation, and I really hope this episode is as useful for you as it was for me.

Madeleine Little is a disabled artist, theatre maker, and researcher. She is also incredibly kind, articulate, and knowledgeable arts professional with a smile so arresting it will pull you across the room like that dance move with the invisible lasso. You should absolutely follow her on the accounts listed in the show notes and read her Mama Mia article, which MAMA FREAKING MIA APPROACHED HER TO DO (click through to it to get as excited about it as I am). Go send her big love for finishing off her masters! Go do some googling to learn more about the topic! Go follow some cool disabled artists on Instagram! Go go go!

Keep well,

-Paula

P.S. This is a phone interview, and there was a little itty bitty lag, but it’s not noticeable after the first two minutes.

EPISODE NOTES:

Things We Mentioned

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Non-disabled vs. abled as Maddie said in the episode, this comes down to context but non-disabled is generally the safer bet. Terminology is a really basic and easy thing to get around though, and it’s also a really simple way to start learning more about disability as an experience, the structural aspects of it within institutions, and much more. Here’s a guide on terminology by the Australian Network on Disability. For those feeling a smidge daunted, here is a great quote from the webpage:

While the above information may seem daunting if it’s new to you, the most important thing to remember is to simply focus on the person, rather than the disability. Don’t be so afraid of saying the wrong thing that you don’t say anything at all. Relax, be willing to communicate, and listen, (AND, 2019).

(Yes I just used correct APA citation formatting. I didn’t get a HECs debt to not remember this.)

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Emotional Labour was first defined in The Managed Heart. Read more about it here, as well as a little chat with Arlie Hochschild here if you’re short on time and just want a little more understanding.

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Alicia Grandey gives us an updated definition of emotional labour with some help from Aunt Bernadette here, in a quick and easy read.

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Privilege! What an important thing to know and examine! I have immense privilege with my non-disabled body, and one of the reasons I know this because the reason why I didn’t record with Maddie in person is because I couldn’t find a recording studio which was accessible for her. I had never before counted the stairs between the street and the recording chair, or paid any attention to hand rails, and that was an eye opener. Which is what privilege is: it’s not having to think about x, y, or z. It is the freedom and ease of not having to consider things that are very real everyday experiences for others. Privilege isn’t good or bad, and often isn’t a choice. It just comes with the responsibility of understanding it, acknowledging it, and using it to build a better future for people who don’t have the same. Here is an excellent look at the concept and what we can do...

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