Disabilities in technical theatre

[sam.hunt]

Dyslexia topic

 

Discussion about dyslexia, and how dyslexia and disabilities are treated in theatre.

 

An interesting off-shoot of this is, if in the majority of our industry you work your way up to higher levels of responsibility by starting at the bottom, how can someone who is physically disabled, and therefore unable to rig, focus, fly, etc. work their way up in the industry?

 

This is of particular interest to me, as I have a minor physical disability a bit like arthritis in symptoms, and this means that I have problems doing extended periods of rigging (as I get fatigued easily) and am physically quite weak, and yet am good at programming and paperwork... how can I get into programming or assistant LD/chief positions if I'm poor at basic physical skills, yet my talents lie elsewhere? This is an attitude that I have encountered in the "real world", and it really is quite infuriating.

[charlyfarly]

Well as far as my experiences go I have dyscalculia which is the maths equivalent of dyslexia. It's annoying because I cannot furthur my knowledge, for example I would dearly like to go on an L'Acoustics Training Course but the maths would stop me in my tracks......I can't even work a calculator properly (the sequences of calculation).

I have not too much of a problem with logic but certain areas of spacial things can stump me, even up to my 20's I had to hold out both hands to get the "L" pattern to tell the difference between left and right but I'm fine at reversing my car into awkward spaces (well for a woman anyway!) and I have no problem reading a map (well for a woman anyway!)

I've just accepted it and know that I'll never be an all-singing all-dancing system technician. As a system tech friend of mine kindly said "You may be rubbish at maths, don't worry about it, leave it to me to do that stuff....but you certainly have a better set of ears than me!". :)

[Bryson]

It is a complicated area. Despite the recent legislation and encouragment to make "reasonable adjustments" the fact remains that particularly in smaller venues with less staff, having a member of staff who is physically less capable than the others is a problem. The answer probably lies in larger venues that have staffing levels that allow for some members of staff to be purely doing "skilled" work while others deal with the more physical side.

 

I've been quite lucky (if you can call it that) in that I reasonably seriously injured my back a couple of years ago, but have reached the point in my career where I move a lot more paper round the office than 8x4s round the venue. Had I had that injury a few years earlier, it could have been quite unpleasant indeed.

 

I think, in short, what I'm trying to say is that larger organisations are more able to offer opportunities that work to people with physical disabilities.

[the kid]

I heard this from our old technician when I was a student, so a good 3 years back. He knew of and had worked with, a light tech who had one arm, he would rig most lights and prep movers ( as in remove from case and set out) all with 1 arm. How true I don't know, so if you are willing to let nothing stand in your way it can work.

[Jivemaster]

It's a complicated area! there are laws, regulations and working practises to consider. It does however come down to other people's interpretation of "reasonable"

 

As an employee you will only have to go through the recruitment stage irregularly, and may be seen as an asset as your employment "shows" the company to be disabled friendly!

 

I know disproportionatly many disabled people as a result of my day job, some are determined to milk it for all they can, others are determined to get on and get a life (some are nearly suicidaly positive).

 

Find the largest employers, concentrate on what you con do, and sell yourself. What you must not do is expose your colleagues to additional risk covering for you.

 

Your health professionals can often assist you to locate and open opportunities for interviews.

[Ynot]

There was an old thread a while back on the stagecraft mailing list (IIRC) about a tech course in the states HAVING to accept a blind person due to the strict disability discrimination laws - can't remember much of the detail, but I gather it all went surprisingly well on both sides...

[tokm]

I think, in short, what I'm trying to say is that larger organisations are more able to offer opportunities that work to people with physical disabilities.

In theory yes, but the way I see it, that's only really true if a person were to become disabled during there career, after an accident for example.. If there were in a position (similar to Bryson) where they were able to give up one sort of work and move to a pen pushing job in the same industry.

 

But, if they had always suffered from a physical disability, then the problem of having to work your way up the chain still comes into play. Well, that's if their after a purely technical role. In most cases, jobs where the work becomes more paper/design based and less load-ins/outs, manual work, are the jobs where you would have to have done all the stuff your doing less/if any work. Regardless of the size of the organisation. So the problem still remains.

 

At least that's the way I see it.

 

Tom

 

p.s.

As an employee you will only have to go through the recruitment stage irregularly, and may be seen as an asset as your employment "shows" the company to be disabled friendly!

If I were ever in that position, I'd hate to think I'd be employed simply to make the company look good/tick the 'anti-discrimination' box on a form. I'm sure others would to!

[Jivemaster]

Every disability has degrees!

 

The OP says "fatigued easily" That really doesnt differ form an obese school lever who may also add the attention span of a goldfish! -Or does it.

 

What of the job can you do? What can you do with reasonable modifications? Can you form a valuable part of a team, redistributing the normal tasks, without expecting colleagues to cover for you?

[paulears]

How about the deaf person on a music technology course, or a blind person on a stage management course? Both real circumstances I've come accross. However, my old college were wetting themselves when a male person wanted to enroll on the beauty therapy course - no male facilities, and a totally female client base - some things in the course that could not be taught to a man - as in techniques to do with the south american country where samba is a popular dance - this would require a male model, but the assessors are female, and it's unlikely a female model would permit a male to carry out the treatment. The college were really worried - they would have had to take him and make adjustments to the building, the staff, the course content, the assessment method and customer base - none of which were possible. When the fella didn't arrive there were sighs of relief.

 

It isn't just technical theatre - it's everywhere.

[sam.hunt]

With regards to my disability, I can perfectly safely perform most tasks in theatre, so no health and safety risk, and I know when I've done too much or can't lift or move something.

 

The issue I have come across, especially when working at a lighting hire company, was that I had to prove I could do the physical grunt work, which I am not very good at, before I would be "allowed" to do paperwork or more technically* skilled work, which is my strength. To me, this doesn't make a lot of sense, although I do appreciate that the need to understand how a lighting system physically goes together is important for anyone involved in it's construction.

 

This issue could be extended to someone who has a more serious physical disability - how would they be able to get into the industry if they are unable to rig or focus? The idea of "working your way up" seems somewhat outdated to me (at least to a certain extent), especially with degree courses that give a very high level of technical* training.

 

* I use the term "technically" to mean the opposite of "practically", that is, tasks that require knowledge and skills other than physical ones, e.g. unit schedules, patch sheets, time schedules, etc.

[Jivemaster]

In a large company people are engaged on a specific career path. -you could go in as a technical administrator. In a small company this will not be so easy as each person will have to be more multi skilled.

 

In a HUGE company technically aware people may do the admin work at a far office with barely a venture onto site.

[paulears]

Sam I think you just had the wrong job. Most firms who take you on do so knowing the limitations. Making you do the wrong job, in an effort to move you up isn't really the right way to do it.

 

I suspect that nowadays the old fashioned route isn't that effective anymore. Me - if I wanted somebody capable of hard physical work, and little paperwork would mean that I'd interview and take on somebody easily able to do this. If the job was sitting at a computer doing design or admin, then I'd have different attributes to look out for. My reading is that nowadays genuine all-rounders are rare. The field is too wide and too 'stratified'. At the moment, sound people seem in short supply. I don't care at all about disabilities. All I want are people who can do the job. What I wouldn't do is employ a disabled person as the 'token'. Demeaning to them, and the other staff. I don't have a disability, but if I had, I'd like to think I got job on merit, not sympathy.

 

What gets me is when disablity, ethnicity and religion are used as a kind of positive filter. You know, when an ad says "we welcome applications from disabled, gay/lesbian/ethnic minorities as they are currently under-represented"

 

If people can do the job, as described - then it shouldn't matter if they are abled/disabled should it?

[Andrew C]

However, my old college were wetting themselves when a male person wanted to enrol on the beauty therapy course .......The college were really worried - they would have had to take him ...

My now 15yr old daughter was delivered by a very professional, friendly, black, male, trainee, midwife. He must have really wanted that job; and I'll bet he struggled to get on the course and overcome all sorts of prejudice! I also know a diabetic who hasn't worked for the best part of 30 years. He could, but has just surrendered.

 

I think what I'm trying to say is that it is down to the individuals attitude in many ways; "I can do that job" rather than "I can't because...".

[djw1981]

It also depends on demonstrable skills. If you can demonstrate skills at being a good SM / tecnhician / administrator (in the sense of keeping good hire records etc) then there will be a role in technical theatre. you just need to find a company willing to accept that they will do more than 50% of the grunt, and you will do more than 50% of the contracts, hire details, insurance, crew planning, equipment testing logs and finance stuff. In any company, there will eb staff doing these jobs anyway, and that may be a good route in. starting off as office staff with a strong interest in the 'business' and then move internally to a hybrid position.

 

One of the Hire companies I know/use, has a hire manager who is also used occassionally on jobs in other roles. his main job is hires etc, but he is also a capable lighting technician.

[Jivemaster]

A person with a can-do attitude and a perceived disability is an asset to themselves and their employer, and they have a salary so they have recreation, and leisure. Their employer can and will use "employing the disabled" as a quality benchmmark. -Don't knock it it's how more disabled people will get into employment!

 

The can-do attitude has to know the bounds of reasonablness for both adaptations and safety.

 

The alternative is to join the ranks of the permanently unable to work, have nothing, and live a life of boredom and frustration.

 

Is there really a choice!

 

Keep your medical professional invilved, look through them for career advice, and possibly introductions to an employer.

 

The freelance route may not be so suitable as you will be your own employer so have to do all your own adaptations, and you will hit the interview barrier far too often.