Freelance, self-employed, disabled, the arts: definitions
Freelance and/or self-employed
You are a freelance, according to the dictionary, if you are ‘a self employed person, especially a writer or artist, who is hired to do specific assignments’.
You are self-employed if you collect your payments without tax or national insurance deducted, and handle your own tax affairs.
Being freelance may be your first choice because you like its freedom and flexibility, or a way of working you have settled on to allow you to work within your abilities. It could be the kind of working you do because you feel discriminated against when applying for jobs.
disabled
We would like you to decide for yourself whether you are a disabled person - there is no requirement for being registered or any of that stuff. Broadly, we would expect disability to include not only physical disabilities but hidden disabilities such as long term illnesses, mental health issues, visual impairment, hearing impairment including being Deaf and learning disabilities.
If you consider that your employment patterns are influenced by any of these issues (eg whether you can work, how much you can work, whether you feel discriminated against in applying for jobs) then FASED is a network which can support you.
the arts
The arts doesn't just mean visual art, but all kinds of performance:
music, dance, acting, writing, artwork on computers, crafts and anything you have invented which is creative.
Your work within the arts could include:
- Your own creative work as a writer, musician, painter, dancer, performer etc.
- Helping to run organisations which work in the arts - community arts organisations, art groups;
- Providing advice to organisations such as theatres, museums, performance companies or local authorities (councils) who are trying to improve access for disabled people to arts experiences;
- Training or teaching people in the arts.