A new report has highlighted the harmful behaviours and challenging conditions disabled, LGBTQIA+, and ethnic minority artists and arts workers face.

Disabled, LGBTQIA+, and ethnic minority artists and arts workers are experiencing discrimination, exclusion, and other harmful behaviours and challenging conditions in Ireland’s arts and creative sector. That’s according to a new report published by Irish Theatre Institute (ITI) today as part of the ‘Safe to Create’ programme, which was launched in 2022 to transform workplace culture and practices, and to provide safe and respectful working conditions for those working in the arts.

The report, titled AMPLIFY: A Call for Transformative Action, presents the findings of a comprehensive research programme, designed to shed light on the lived experiences of disabled, LGBTQIA+, and ethnically diverse artists and arts workers in Ireland. More than 500 artists and arts workers from across different art forms, including visual arts, theatre, film, music, literature, and others, participated in the study, which comprised online surveys, focus groups, and one-to-one interviews.

To capture information on the lived experience of intellectually disabled artists, a strand of the research focused specifically on surveying artists with intellectual disabilities, family members of these artists, arts organisations, and arts workers who facilitate arts projects with intellectually disabled artists.

“The study has been designed and rolled out in close consultation with the constituent groups concerned, and the research captures both quantitative and qualitative data on the lived experiences of artists and arts workers in Ireland. Respondents were asked about their views on how their disability, minoritised racial or ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status impacts them in their workplace, and the research findings offer important insights that are hugely valuable for the ‘Safe to Create’ programme,” said the study’s lead researcher, Dr Ciara Murphy.

Here are the key findings:

Widespread Identity-Based Discrimination:

• 63% of disabled respondents experienced disability-related micro-aggressions.
• 43% of LGBTQIA+ respondents faced micro-aggressions related to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex status.
• 51% of those in ethnic minorities experienced racial micro-aggressions, and 40% faced racial discrimination at work.
• Micro-aggressions include harmful behaviors such as negative or non-inclusive language, comments, and jokes.

Missed Opportunities Due to Negative Perceptions:

• 74% of disabled respondents, 43% of LGBTQIA+ respondents, and 54% of racially and ethnically minoritised respondents felt they missed work opportunities due to others’ negative perceptions.
• Two-thirds of facilitators and all intellectual disability organizations surveyed reported that intellectual disability artists are often discouraged from exploring certain arts practices.

Ineffective Reporting Structures and Fear of Raising Issues:

• 60% of disabled respondents, 55% of racially and ethnically minoritised respondents, and 45% of LGBTQIA+ respondents feared reputational damage if they reported issues.
• Family members of ID artists also cited various reasons for not reporting problems.

Lack of Awareness and Burden on Minoritised Groups:

• 59% of disabled respondents noted a lack of understanding of disability-related issues at work, with 69% stating that disabled artists and arts workers do most of the work to improve conditions.
• 53% of LGBTQIA+ respondents felt their colleagues lacked awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues, and 73% noted that LGBTQIA+ individuals do most of the work to improve conditions.
• Two-thirds of racially or ethnically minoritised respondents said colleagues lacked awareness of racial and ethnic issues, with almost half indicating that these minoritised artists do most of the work to improve conditions.
• Three-quarters of facilitators and half of intellectually disabled artists’ family members believed there is a poor understanding of intellectual disability within the sector.

“It is clear from our research that marginalisation in the arts is the result of structural and systemic discrimination,” said Niamh O’Donnell Director of ITI. “This persistently places LGBTQIA+, disabled, and ethnically diverse artists and arts workers at a disadvantage compared to their peers. This exclusion undermines and undervalues their work, and adversely impacts everyone in society.”

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