My guest today is Morwenna Collett, an accomplished Sydney based consultant, leader and facilitator working in the arts. Morwenna is sought after nationally and internationally for her expertise in diversity, access and inclusion

Fuelled by her own lived experience as a musician with disability, Morwenna is passionate about increasing accessibility within the music industry.

Morwenna_Collett_Theory-Of-Creativity

Image description: A black and white photo of Morwenna smiling at the camera, wearing glasses with long hair flowing over her shoulders. The episode title “Achievable Accessibility with Morwenna Collett” is displayed next to the photo of Morwenna.

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Transcript: A full transcript of the interview is available to download, Achievable Accessibility Transcript.

In this episode, Morwenna shares how her diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis whilst studying at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music opened her eyes to the fact that the arts was not set up for inclusion. Morwenna shares why she believes music hasn’t made as much progress in the area of inclusion as other sectors and the different types of barriers that organisations need to navigate in order to advance.


We talk about the difference between diversity and inclusion, the imperatives for change and how art has a pivotal role in helping the community understand and break down the barriers for people with disabilities.


Morwenna discusses some of the research she has found and the 5 key pillars to success in making organisations more accessible. She shares some examples of impactful work and how artists with disability are creating some of the most exciting, groundbreaking and risk taking work out there.


Key points

[3:37]: How Tandi and Morwenna first started working together and a particularly impactful project that they worked on at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

[5:00]: How Morwenna started out in this industry and the journey it has taken to where she is now

[5:40]: Morwenna was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis during her time studying at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, and how through this diagnosis she saw that the university and arts in general was not set up for inclusion 

[6:20]: Through her experiences, Morwenna moved into arts management and has landed as a consultant to arts organisations for diversity, access and inclusion

[8:25]: The differences between diversity and inclusion 

[9:17]: In the UK they have the equalities act - 9 different protected characteristic areas

[10:15]: Why Morwenna believes that music hasn’t made as much progress in this area as other sectors

[11:40]: Why would an organisation pursue this area - the imperatives for change:

  • The moral imperative. It feels like the right thing to do

  • Funding and legislation is another key driver

  • Artistic potential - artists with disability are making some of the most exciting, groundbreaking and risk taking work out there

[13:40]: Examples of artistic potential - disabled Scottish dancer Clare Cunningham and her piece - Guide Gods

[14:52]: The impactful work of Jess Thom and Touretteshero

[15:40]: How Morwenna feels that art has a pivotal role in helping the community understand and break down the barriers for people with disabilities

[16:45]: The economic benefits of incorporating diversity, access and inclusion and the UK talks about the “purple pound”

[17:45]: How does Morwenna make headway with organisations to make change happen?

[18:30]: Change can feel slow in this area, so Morwenna is an advocate for having a multi-year plan to manage expectations

[19:31]: The different types of barriers that organisations need to navigate to be inclusive

[20:50]: A standard question should always be “do you have access requirements?” - it’s much easier to answer a question if you’ve been asked it.

[21:32]: What’s involved with an “access audit”

[22:40]: Our websites are the front line for engagement with audiences and accessibility of websites is the first step

[23:30]: The pandemic actually opened up a whole new world for disabled communities with the rise in live streaming - we want to keep these open as live events start to return

[25:20]: This concept of universal design - creating something that was designed for one segment, but it actually benefits so many more

[27:00]: If you have a PDF online, you should also have an access friendly version too because PDF’s can’t generally be read by anyone who uses a screen reader

[28:00]: Other areas where we can improve in accessibility online is social media 

[29:30]: Sometimes there is the idea that to make things accessible will be very expensive, but there are a lot of small or no cost things that can be done to improve accessibility

[30:00]: We can be hesitant to write an image description for example because we fear that we might not do it correctly, but giving it a go is better than nothing!

[31:40]: The role of user testing and a “critical friend” to help you when you’re looking to make your business more accessible

[33:30]: How does someone get started and make headway in this area - what research Morwenna has found and the 5 key pillars to success:

  • Getting started is the key. Looking for the low hanging fruit and things that you can do right now

  • Doing your research. Listening to the questions of those with lived experience and surveys

  • Organisational culture and responsibility

  • Planning and continuous improvement. You won’t get it all done by tomorrow.

  • Connection and keeping on learning. Doing training, being involved in professional development and conferences

[37:00]: Inclusion is a journey, not a destination

[38:30]: Once you’re opened up to this world, you really can’t unlearn it. You will be more aware and continually strive to improve in this area.

[40:00]: Be conscious that when you’re asking for advice from people with lived experience, to pay them for their time and expertise

[41:00]: Examples of change that has started to take place in the arts sector

  • Relaxed performance. Having a more relaxed approach to noise and movement during a performance. Great for people with sensory sensitivities

[41:30]: A project that Morwenna is working with Music NSW seeing whether they can set up the first accessibility charter for live music in this country. A rating system for venues for accessibility

[42:55]: What keeps Morwenna going in this industry and the benefits that she sees for the future

[43:50]: Morwenna’s final tip for creating real change in this space - know who are the disabled artists in your artform and support them!




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Links

Morwenna’s Website: https://www.morwennacollett.com/ 

Resources that Morwenna recommends: https://www.morwennacollett.com/resources

Twitter:@morwennacollett

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morwennacollett/

Accessible Arts - NSW

Arts Access Australia



Morwenna’s article on ‘Building a musically inclusive future’ in Limelight Magazine: https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/features/building-a-musically-inclusive-future/ 


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Supported by Creative Victoria, Theory of Creativity Season 2 is focussed on 'Real Change and Renewal'. Tune in on the first Tuesday of the month as Patternmakers Managing Director Tandi Palmer Williams speaks with experts in audience trends, strategic planning, organisational change and resilience.


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