About

My name is Sasha Amaya. I work as an accessibility consultant for artist groups, producers, festivals, programmers, and institutions to help identify areas of weakness and oversight.

My focus is on applying an intersectional approach to creative work including dance, classical music, theatre, and visual art, as well as art colleges and universities, and how we can improve our projects through intersectional perspectives on pay, inclusion, and diversity.

Experience

I worked in Accessibility Services at the University of Winnipeg, Canada, for four years, and subsequently at the Centre for Oral Culture at the University of Manitoba, Canada, working around understandings of human rights, for over two years. I also co-led a three-year project between the Winnipeg Arts Council and the Manitoba Wheelchair Sports Association, exploring possibilities for accessibility and community through the connection between art and sport. In these positions I gained a huge understanding of not only some of the barriers people face, but also how they can be overcome through structural changes and strategic support.

As a woman and a so-called person of colour who has studied and worked in five countries, I have a very real understanding of some of the prejudices and challenges people face in the workplace, on the street, and in relationships, the difficulties of speaking up, and the inequalities and compromises that are too often normalized.

Through my work in the arts, it became clear that there is a huge gap between the desire to be inclusive and the time, experience, and tools to really be so. Even the best-intentioned of festivals, programmers, and universities, as well as individuals, often have gaps in knowledge or sensitivity which can cause a lot of unintentional pain and damage. Through invitations to give my perspective on how festivals and instituions of which I was a part could improve, I began to consult organizations on how they can take a more holistic and inclusive approach.

I hold a BA Honours from the University of Winnipeg, Canada, and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, where I also served as an Access ambassador. Building on my previous work experience in accessibility services, as well as my personal experience, I complete ongoing professional development with Catalyst.

How I Work

We all have unconscious biases due to the fact that no one of us can experience all the perspectives in life. While we can strive to be more mindful, nevertheless due to life experience, workload, or fatigue we can still generate biases which create difficult challenges for one another.

I offer an outside perspective, a view on how dynamics and figures within a project are working, helping to catch and clear up some of these unconscious biases in order to let things flow more smoothly and equitably, and ultimately more productively and happily.

My consulting sessions are often set up to run as a series, for example with festivals or institutions. One or two session consultations are also possible, which can suit smaller artist groups and productions particularly well.

Each service has a unique price point; feel welcome to write us for more information about what you need and how we can help.

Pay for Your Help

It is too common to ask employees or colleagues whom you may (correctly or incorrectly) identify as BIPOC, differently-abled, LGBTQ+, or otherwise considered a minority within your group to do the work for your organization. While it is important to listen to those around us who may have different experiences and perspectives, it is also very important not to ask or expect already marginalized groups to do that extra work for us. Please listen to those around you, but make sure not to ask marginalized employees and colleagues to do free work. Instead, reach out to an accessibility consultant or work therapist who can gather these experiences into a meaningful channel, without putting pressure and unpaid labour onto those you seek to support.