Tony’s acclaimed, artistic and thought-provoking work embodies a message for an inclusive society. As a sculptor, performance artist and disability art advocate, he deeply emphasizes promoting the disability arts movement. A motorbike accident left Tony with a spinal injury impairment at the age of sixteen. He turned to art in school and in life, eventually earning a visual arts degree. Tony focused on art-themed around disability and his interaction with the environment producing works like ‘Springback’ and ‘Great Britain from a Wheelchair’. He was commissioned in 2012 to create an installation for the Big 4 sculpture sited outside Channel Four’s offices called ‘Monument to the Unintended Performer’ which symbolized the scrutiny and curiosity levied upon disabled people. He has served as Director of the Holton Lee Trust, a wellbeing facility, as CEO of Shape Arts, an arts and disability charity and has been awarded the OBE for services to the arts and the disability arts movement.

How has your artistic vision helped you to promote advocacy for the disability community?T: Much of my work could be seen as propaganda and message-based, it’s in there, and is often layered to offer different levels of interpretation. It’s been used as advocacy and to support other elements in the struggle for inclusion.

What is your most memorable work so far and why?T: Perhaps the most memorable works I have done were for the London 2012 Paralympics, my sculpture ‘Monument to the Unintended Performer’ was conceived to hang on the Big 4 outside of Channel 4 TV Centre and also the Lecterns of Great Britain from a Wheelchair (Revisited) that I made for Lord Coe and Sir Phillip Craven were seen by a world-wide TV audience when they introduced and closed the games!

What are some of your initiatives to foster an inclusive society?T: I initiated NDACA the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive. The NDACA will give people free access to thousands of images and stories from the golden age of disability arts and will help many disabled people to understand the art and politics of the disability arts movement.
Also as CEO of Shape and now Chair of Shape we have developed many initiatives to foster an inclusive society including the very successful Unlimited commissioning programme.

What life decisions have helped you to reach where you are today?T: Going to University was important as it helped me to develop confidence in my approach to my work and my philosophy about the oppression of disabled people - I think to embrace change, to be positive but to recognise the oppression that disabled people face all the time and to work to educate people about the social model of disability, fight for good and inclusive access solutions and to work in places that foster social justice.

What are your other hobbies?T: I don’t really have any hobbies, no time, but I do like to go camping in my campervan, bird watching and reading to relax!

What is your favorite place to visit? What do you love about that place?T: Art Galleries and Museums are my favourite places to visit, I am always stimulated by the content. I also love just being out in nature.

What is your suggestion for families of children with disabilities to empower their children?T: Access to the best education, find out and make connections with other empowered disabled people and advocates, let children take calculated risks, we all need to test out the possibilities and learn from failure because this is what makes us strong and resourceful. Don’t accept less, we face disabling barriers and we have to all work in a civilised society to remove these barriers to access and inclusion wherever we find them.

What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who are interested in exploring their creativity?T: Get involved, there are many opportunities out there, research them and start to try them, both in education and in the community, also keep in touch with what is going on in organisations like Shape and Graeae and the many other organisations like them.

Any special message for our community?T: Insist on having your access requirements met and work together to fight for positive change and inclusion, we can never give up on this and the battle will never be won.