Disability Theatre

As a discipline, disability theory examines how the experience of disability is represented. In creating disability theatre, playwrights and practitioners focus on how to accurate and ethically represent the experience of disability for an audience. Many disability scholars examine both the reality of disability, as well as the social circumstances and constructs that relate to accessibility and understanding of the disability.

Disability as a concept has many categories and a wide variety of types. Physical disability can be visible or invisible, temporary or permanent, defined by illness or injury, or be a congenital condition. The category of mental disability includes both cognitive and developmental conditions (such as autism spectrum disorders) and mental health diagnoses (like anxiety or depression). The ways in which theorists and artists talk about disability varies as well; while some prefer “person with a disability,” others use “disabled person.” This guide focuses primarily on the dramatic literature surrounding disability.

Key Dates, Events, & Genres

• 1967 - National Theater of the Deaf is founded
• 1973 - The Rehabilitation Act is passed (Section 504), which provided for equal opportunity employment within the federal government
• 1986 - Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts is founded
• 1990 - The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is passed, providing protection against discrimination and ensuring accessibility for those with disabilities in all public buildings
• 2010 - The United Kingdom passes the Equality Act
• 2011 - The Broadway Accessibility Initiative creates the first autistic-friendly Broadway performance of The Lion King. I-Caption and D-Scriptive performances are now regularly incorporated into Broadway productions
• 2015 - Deaf West revival of Spring Awakening