How Proficient am I at Existence
Invitation to participate: ACCESSIBILITY and INCLUSION ARCHIVE
We hope this email finds you well and thriving! I’m writing with a project introduction and an invitation. My friend and project collaborator, Jason Lazarus (Tampa, FL, USA) and I, are searching for Accessibility and Inclusion Statements that fellow Dis (abled) Creatives have crafted to help them navigate the (often unpredictable and inaccessible) cultural field. We are launching our search to create an expanding digital public archive of these statements, initiate future publication(s) of these statements, and for participating artists who are interested, future public exhibition of the statements as art forms themselves. This project, now in its google docs infancy, currently lives here: ACCESSIBILITY and INCLUSION ARCHIVE.
We’d be thrilled if you would consider submitting an existing statement, writing one for the first time, and/or recommending another creative we should reach out to.
This project began through conversations with Jason about an accessibility statement I wrote during a difficult personal transition. I was newly navigating physical Dis/abilities, as well as late diagnoses of autism and ADHD. At the time, I re-entered academia after a decade working with infants and toddlers, only to find the institution unprepared to accommodate my needs—despite my efforts to communicate with them. I was quickly overwhelmed and burned out, a stark reminder of how far many spaces still have to go to be truly accessible.
The process of writing my Accessibility and Inclusion Statement became both an asterisk—marking a necessary pause—and an art form in itself. After several conversations on the topic, Jason was inspired to write his own statement as well, which can be found in the Accessibility and Inclusion Archive Google folder. From there, the project grew organically to include other Dis (abled) Creatives, forming a collaborative space for reflection, advocacy, and artistic expression.
We welcome and support experimental statements—including visual or text-free submissions—that challenge the form and prioritize non-linear thinking, feeling, and access beyond disclosure. For me, starting with a straightforward statement was grounding, and I’m now exploring what an experimental one might look and feel like (see my folder in the archive).
each participant will have an archive folder and can edit their statement(s) at any time
there is an option to be anonymous, which we also welcome
we aim to pay artists for their accessibility submissions in the future as we develop funding through project partnerships and grant income
accessibility contract riders can live in the archive as well
in the future, we envision a dedicated website for the archive
in the future, we envision monthly meetings via zoom for our artists contending with accessibility and seeking community, counsel, solidarity, and empowerment
We are excited to discover what artists might already use and in what form. And for artists who don’t currently employ this kind of statement, we believe the archive will be a powerful resource for artists trying to find the right language and contours for their own statements and contract riders in the future.
We would love it if you would consider being a part of this project. We welcome your questions, ideas, and feedback about our project’s initial form, and hope this project rings some bells for you now or in the future.
In solidarity,
Michelle (and Jason)