By Tanisha Anderson, AGMA Chorister
As a kid, I always sought ways to hide my arm, feeling my disability made me “less than” everyone else in the world. Singing has always allowed me to escape this reality and build up the confidence that bullying tore down. My voice bridged the gap and comforted the insecurity I felt daily.
Whenever I’m performing, I’m able to connect with people in such a transformative way. I’m able to truly express who I am on the inside while healing others. Unfortunately, there are times when venues, companies, or productions disregard my inability to do certain staging or movement. Thus, I would be left behind or placed at the back of the stage.
Holding music and turning pages with the same arm/hand in concerts can be hard and exhausting for me. I’m appreciative of people who acknowledge and understand my disability and make provisions where a music stand, despite optics, can assist me to perform at the same level and comfort as others, and of directors who take into account that I can’t raise my right arm, I can’t pick things up with both hands, I can’t follow the choreography as most can and work to find other options for me so I am still included and not just staged behind everyone else.
I would tell my younger self to dream big, stand strong, believe in yourself, never take “no” for an answer, and know you belong in the same spaces as everyone else. Everyone deserves the right to be embraced and supported, no matter if they’re disabled or not. My hope is that future generations of performers can be in spaces where they can soar, without having to hurdle roadblocks that stifle them.