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I work in community development for LGBTIQA+ people with disability. Today I spoke with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and was told my work must be very 'rewarding'. Wrong. My work is about survival, including my own
My work is about necessity, this idea that the work itself is rewarding is also used to justify underpaying people in this area. It's used, in my experience, by people who can't really comprehend *why* people do this kind of work if it's not to feel better about themselves.
It sets extremely low expectations of the outcomes of this work. And maybe my own prejudices come into this, but it feels patronising and dismissive. My work is tiring. It's often traumatic. It is, above all, important, because it should not be as hard as it is to live our lives
I am grateful that I have work, and that it has brought me closer to my communities. I am aware that in this, I am extremely fortunate. I'm also aware that my privileges as a white, verbal communicator from a financially secure and supportive family give me protection
