Positionality Statement: As someone with an invisible disability, I recognise the importance of disability activism and advocacy. I acknowledge that my disability may influence the way I approach research topics and methodologies, and that it may limit my ability to access certain spaces or resources. However, I also acknowledge that because my disability isn’t visible and that I’m a white, heterosexual, cisgender person, I am afforded certain privileges.
As soon as I visited UAL’s disability services webpages, my thoughts quickly turned back to my personal experiences with disability services at UAL. Since starting at BA level in my BA degree program, MA course and now PgCert course. I have gone through this process three times! Initial experiences can often be difficult and stressful; you are uncertain of what you should expect and asking for help can be daunting. Though my journey wasn’t the smoothest nor was it traumatic, it could have been better. At times, I felt awkward sitting in the office of the Disability Advisor with the fear of being judged. My experiences in the DSA process made me acutely aware of the hurdles students must overcome in order to receive support they need, but it also enabled me to guide them easily towards available support and resources, the disability services webpages being one of them.
Christine Sun Kim Film
The multi-sensory approach to designing experiences is something that we encourage on the course I teach, in-fact the first week of term we do a ‘Human Senses’ brief, so I could easily image applying this resource within my practice – to offer a rich source of insight and exploration for multi-sensory design solutions that engage users on multiple levels. As the Film promotes alternative sensory inputs, cross-modal thinking, and encourages innovative and inclusive approaches, it could provide designe students with valuable inspiration that helps propel multi-sensory design solutions that truly engage users on multiple fronts.
But more importantly, integrating Christine Sun Kim’s Film into my teaching practice – specifically at the beginning of the academic year would foster an inclusive learning environment that promotes empathy, critical thinking, creativity and interdisciplinary links. Doing so may increase students’ understanding of diverse perspectives while sparking their imagination and encouraging them to approach learning with openness and inclusivity.
#DisabilityTooWhite article/interview with Vilissa Thompson
This article offers valuable insights for inclusive practices within design pedagogy by emphasising representation and diversity as its core aspects. Reflecting upon this article, it became evident to me that as design educators must prioritise representation and diversity by providing students with exposure to a diverse selection of designs created by disabled people of colour. The article stresses the significance of intersectionality and I would hope it would encourage students to understand how various identities intersect with disability.
We should seek to amplify marginalised voices, for example we can invite guest speakers from underrepresented groups, conduct research with them and facilitate discussions on biases. Fostering empathy and sensitivity among students as they learn about the challenges that disabled people of colour are up against is of the utmost importance. Additionally, collaborative and participatory design approaches should be prioritised, engaging both disabled individuals and communities in the process of design. As a design educator, I try to implement these strategies into my teaching practice; however, there may be instances in which it would be helpful to be more explicit by highlighting different experiences related to disability so as to create inclusive learning environments and equip our students to become socially responsible designers.
Deaf-accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring Eve and Mary Are Having Coffee while chronically ill (2017) By Khairani Barokka (Okka)
To summarise, the article emphasises the significance of accessibility in arts settings and highlights the need to accommodate deaf and chronically ill individuals’ needs. Also, it suggests raising awareness and initiating proactive efforts in creating inclusive spaces that prioritise accessibility while catering to a range of audiences.
The article provides lots of practical insights, applying these to my teaching practice would require that we prioritise accessibility through proactive planning, consultation, clear communication, creating a safe environment and providing accessible information. By considering the diverse needs of students with disabilities or chronic illnesses, as teachers we can create inclusive learning environments by anticipating accommodations, engaging stakeholders proactively and communicating effectively. Also, by offering multiple formats for information dissemination while cultivating empathy and understanding as well as using accessible technology as key strategies – ultimately guaranteeing all pupils can fully participate and thrive within classroom settings.
Shades of Noir: Disability. ‘The Healing Power of Art in Intergenerational Trauma: Mad Room.’
This article highlights the exclusion of disabled and PoC artists in mainstream art conversations. The author, Gloria Swain, an aging Black woman artist living with mental disability, shares her experiences and praises the valuable work of Tangled Art + Disability for supporting disabled artists. She describes her solo exhibition entitled “Mad Room,” featuring touchable paintings and elements related to mental disability aimed at creating a community space where Black women could discuss mental health while challenging stereotypes; in addition, artist talks were held to facilitate conversations around madness within Black communities as well as healing from intergenerational trauma. I particularly liked how as an artist and activist Gloria was able to reclaim the word ‘Mad’ through her exhibition.
This article offers great insights for my teaching and professional practice, for example incorporating (more)diverse artists/scholars into the curriculum we can promote representation while challenging biases. Additionally, by amplifying marginalised voices such as Black women and addressing intersections of mental disability with racism. The course I teach is very diverse, and knowing that different cultures, religions and communities have vastly nuanced and differing conversations surrounding mental health, and intergenerational Trauma. So using this article or Glorias work as an example of this could resonate across cultures and potentially open a dialogue around mental health in the classroom.
Bibliography:
Barokka, K (2017) Deaf-accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring Eve and Mary Are Having Coffee while chronically ill. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 22 (3). pp. 387-392.
Blahovec, S. (2016) “Confronting the Whitewashing Of Disability: Interview with #DisabilityTooWhite Creator Vilissa Thompson,” Huffpost, 28 June. Available at: www.huffpost.com/entry/confronting-the-whitewash_b_10574994 (Accessed: May 9, 2023).
TEDx Talks (2017) Not all disabilities are visible. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhXcP65h0sI (Accessed: May 9, 2023).
Saltzman, D. (2011) Christine Sun Kim, vimeo. A Selby Film. Available at: https://vimeo.com/31083172 (Accessed: May 8, 2023).
Swain, G. (2020) “The Healing Power of Art in Intergenerational Trauma: Mad Room,” Disabled People: The Voice of Many, Shades of Noir. pp. 91-93
UAL (2023) Disability and dyslexia. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/student-services/disability-and-dyslexia (Accessed: May 8, 2023).
Thank you for sharing your story and insights so open and honestly. It made me reflect more on my own positionality. When I look at the disability services webpages I find it difficult to judge these other than from a content design perspective, and it’s helpful to read about your own, unique experience.
I’m fascinated by the ‘Human Senses’ brief; it sounds like a brilliant way to connect creative practice with bigger themes, such as inclusion. I wonder if design, as a practice, opens up particular opportunities (and perhaps challenges) to solve issues around access and inclusion – compared to some other practices. I also loved your idea of bringing in guest speakers, bringing in different perspectives and engaging students in different ways.
Thank you for sharing your personal story. Your insights are a thought-provoking exploration of the ways in which design education can and should engage with the issues of diversity, inclusivity, and representation. Its blend of personal experience, academic insight, and practical suggestions make it a valuable resource for educators, designers, and advocates alike. The strategies suggested in this post should be widely considered and implemented to ensure a more socially conscious and inclusive approach to design education.
I’ve very much enjoyed reading your blog. Thank you for being honest and generous in sharing your personal experiences. I would love to know more about the inclusive learning environment that you want to create at the start of the academic year, as I am as well in that journey of increasing the quality of the learning experience I provide. How you are going to do it and which activities and resources you will use?
I would really encourage you to drive your ideas coming from the different resources. I specially liked the one about inviting guest speakers from underrepresented groups, conduct research with them and facilitate discussions on biases. That can be very powerful and a life-changing experience for the students.
Great thoughts and once more, thank you for sharing!
This was so shocking to me, that at the same university you had to go through the process three times! This would be traumatic for me. Not only that, its time consuming. This is probably why there is a delay and back logg in processing. I have had my briefing for my last unit on the course to finish up and I have only just been awarded and confirmed.
I think once students have been diagnosed they should just roll on the support as long as you are still studying.