Today we’d like to introduce you to Quinn O’Connor.
Hi Quinn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up as a disabled person knowing no other disabled people, I looked to my local children’s theater group as a refuge. It was an accepting, inclusive, artistic community that didn’t care that I was disabled. In my mind, theater is populated with individuals who don’t fit the mold of what society pushes upon us. However, I realized that authentic stories from people like me were missing, leading to the perpetuation of negative stereotypes. Twelve years of my life were spent in braces to assist in my mobility as someone with cerebral palsy. As a stage manager, I have worked at both an educational and professional level. Through this, I have witnessed how the industry operates and am galvanized to make an impact by pursuing administrative opportunities. As a disabled, queer, Asian person working in theatre, being in this environment has opened me up to issues of accessibility and inclusion.
I recently graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater and a Minor in Disability Studies. These two programs have allowed me to focus on the intersection of accessibility, performance, and representation.
While I have been focused on this intersection working with the Asian American Theatre Company East West Players on Disability Advocacy and Education, as well as an ongoing accessibility project assessing Los Angeles-based theatres and their access initiatives, I realized that the most impactful advocacy is born out of necessity. In August 2020, UCLA’s first disabled advocate and my close friend passed away suddenly, leaving the recently co-founded Disabled Student Union as my responsibility – advocating for disability rights during a global pandemic.
The Disabled Student Union realized that so many disabled students on our campus faced and continue to face discrimination whether it be physical access, academic access, or general social attitudes towards disability. Creating an advocacy-focused organization honestly wasn’t our first intention. But, that’s kind of what it has come to, and in doing so, I’ve learned that a lot of community comes from organizing and advocacy and activism.
In the two years that we’ve been in existence, we’ve grown considerably: we have over 2,000 followers on Instagram and then our GroupMe has over 150 members. We have generated over 30,000 collective signatures for petitions surrounding remote access during the pandemic and held protests at UCLA. The disabled community at large has been able to connect over social media, and through our Instagram, we have been able to reach a community of students and activists across the nation.
Most notably, we staged a 16-day sit-in with a coalition of students from cultural organizations on campus striking for hybrid access and equity for marginalized students (marking the longest sit-in in UCLA’s history).
Although the fight for equitable education for disabled students is nowhere near finished, the past two years of leading and cultivating this community at UCLA has given me a renewed sense of activism and belief that when the people are united, the power they hold is undeniable.
After graduating, my experience as a disabled person while living and advocating through a global pandemic has marked me with a renewed mission entering the field of theatre. It’s time that the stage reflects all people. I believe that a world where people like me are no longer thought of as the exception in theatrical spaces is attainable through centering access.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been far from a smooth road, in my opinion. Ever since June of 2020, in my first meeting regarding disabled student experiences with the then Dean of Students, Maria Blandizzi, it was clear that the institution would do anything and everything to halt momentum and change. Honestly, the past two years have been more like an investigative mission, uncovering all the secrets and loopholes that UCLA will enact to avoid real accountability and change. Primarily White Institutions (PWIs) have a sinister way of convincing changemakers that they are approaching advocacy in a “wrong” way. And that was something I heavily struggled with in my conversations with the administration at the university. Simply put, they will gaslight you and hold countless “biweekly check-in meetings” rather than actually take action.
Even after the historic 16-day sit-in, we continued to struggle getting through to administration, despite having slept outside of their office doors for over two weeks. It honestly seems like the lack of movement in advocacy initiatives at UCLA is due to a mixture of administration with full-time, cushy salaries not wanting to ruffle feathers, overworking of staff and administration at large, and institutional ableism.
Extending to the theatre industry, I see similar patterns of institutions that are set in their ways so much that change can be difficult. However, if UCLA’s administration taught me anything, it has taught me how to open up the conversations needed to spark the next steps toward inclusion.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a freelance Stage Manager in live theatre, with the goal of eventually pursuing higher management and producing roles in the future. Because of my background, I specialize in advocating for accurate disability representation in theatre (both on and off stage), with a focus on the intersectional experiences of those with disabilities. As a passion project, I am also curating a list of regional theatres and the varying levels of access that exist across the nation to open conversations around accessibility in theatre.
My favorite projects to focus on are those that are either new or reimagined works because they offer endless possibilities for interpretation of art and representation.
I am most proud of, whether as a stage manager or producer, prioritizing the care for the creative team and emphasizing collaborative practices in art. We as an industry are currently restructuring how teams operate, with a focus on anti-racism and disability justice.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
As far as networking goes, I started becoming successful at creating connections when I got over the fear of rejection. There is a sense of imposter syndrome that I continue to struggle with every now and then, but you really do just have to put yourself out there. I have dm’d, Facebook messaged, and emailed various people to connect with them and learn from them. It is definitely daunting at first, but I have the belief that most people love to help and guide others if given the chance.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quinnfelisa/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quinn.oconnor.507/
Image Credits:
Rowan O’Bryan, The Daily Bruin, Lauren Stevens
