Disabled musicians face discrimination, harassment, racism, and debt, says new report

A new report has revealed the widespread discrimination, sexual harassment, racism and financial problems faced by disabled musicians.

The report found that one in six (16 per cent) disabled musicians who are open about their impairment or health condition had experienced disability-related discrimination at work.

The proportion rose to 38 per cent of disabled musicians who identified as transgender.

More than half (57 per cent) of those disabled musicians who took part in the survey said they faced disability-related barriers that had affected their career and aspirations, with nearly one in 10 of this group (nine per cent) saying it was unlikely they would be working as musicians in a year’s time.

Nearly a quarter (22 per cent) of disabled musicians said they were in debt, in contrast to 13 per cent of non-disabled musicians, with an average pay gap of £4,400 between disabled and non-disabled musicians who earn all their income from music.

The report also says that nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of disabled musicians said they had been sexually harassed at work, compared to 13 per cent of non-disabled musicians.

And the report found that 27 per cent of disabled musicians had experienced racism at work, compared with seven per cent of non-disabled musicians, highlighting another of the areas of intersectional discrimination exposed by the report.

A previous report by Attitude is Everything and Black Lives in Music – Unseen Unheard – found 70 per cent of black disabled music creators and professionals had experienced racism or racial bias towards them, and 22 per cent had accessed counselling as a result.

The new report, Musicians’ Census: Disabled Musicians Insight Report, is based on a survey carried out last year by The Musicians’ Union and the charity Help Musicians, which saw responses from nearly 2,600 disabled musicians.

LLinos Owen (pictured), who plays bassoon with Welsh National Opera, said: “We live in a civilised society where asking for help and reasonable adjustments shouldn’t be seen as a nuisance, but I have noticed this can be the case, particularly in freelance roles.

“If I made a request but had to push back on a poor response, I would fear that I might not get booked again.

“It makes me realise how much I have to rely on goodwill, rather than it being a principle.”

She said that “most of the individual managers I have dealt with have been brilliant, going above and beyond and they have genuinely wanted to help me.

“However, when they get a ‘no’ or a poor response from the venue, it makes me nervous that they won’t feel comfortable to advocate further for me.”

Another female musician, aged between 35 and 44, said: “I am autistic and my social difficulties negatively impacted my ability to keep work – I was regularly discriminated against and the impact on my mental health was traumatic.

“I am very, very happy working in education where I am treated with professional dignity and respect.

“This was completely absent from my performing career and destroyed my love of my instrument.”

The Musicians’ Union and Help Musicians worked with the disabled-led accessible music charity Attitude is Everything to launch the report.

Naomi Pohl, the union’s general secretary, said: “The music industry is beginning to take steps to address accessibility and ensure more inclusive workplaces, but there is a long way to go and more progress is urgently needed.”

Paul Hawkins, Attitude is Everything’s head of skills development, said the industry, funders and government could all make it easier for disabled musicians to make a living.

He said: “Faster support for Access to Work and more flexibility around benefits for musicians who work irregular hours or apply for career development funding are vital, as are funders providing additional support for access costs, which has been introduced by members of our Next Stage Talent Development Group.

“Additionally, we encourage the industry to create a culture of disclosure via access riders, such as those developed by The Musicians’ Union and to ensure that the networking opportunities, conferences and workshops – as well as events themselves – are as accessible as possible for disabled musicians.”

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