Discuss specific examples from the resources that illustrate the intersection of disability with other identity aspects:
Video 1: Ade Adepitan, Disability and Race:
- Ade Adepitan talks about paralells between his disability and race, one of which that is discussed is systemic discrimination in society. He mentioned how although overt racism such as name calling in the street isn’t as prominent now, covert and inbuilt prejudice still stands. It is easy to hide rejecting giving BAME and disabled people a job.
- Limitations that are put in place in society, “I’m disabled because society has not allowed me to shine. And not because of my disability”. Disability (and you could say any element of intersectional) is not the barrier. In the video, Abe gives the example of how The Paralympics is a space where people are able to shine and be the best that they can be: given the right training, equipment and event.
- If adequate support and environments were put in place to ensure everyone had the same opportunity to thrive and succeed, there wouldn’t be barriers and disparity.
Video 2: Cristine Sun Kim, Friends and Strangers:
- Cristine Sun Kim starts the video with clips or her working in the studio, showing works and having a voice-over talking about her alignment with the word “echo” and repetition, which progresses into her talking about how using an interpreter is for her a repetition, and this has strong themes throughout.
- Bridging the gap between the deaf and hearing worlds. Using graphics to show an idea without barriers, crossing languages and cultures.
- Mentions her life in Berlin is a lot easier due to a government that cares about their citizens, for instance providing free childcare. Another barrier that she might have faced – parenthood and being an artist. Gives her more freedom. Perhaps an intersection reflection of class & sex?
- “Scale equals visibility, and that has the ability to shape social norms.”
Video 3: Chay Brown, Disability and Gender:
- Chay Brown talks about being a trans, white, gay man with hidden disability. He talks about having privilege within the LGBTQ+ community being a white man, in comparison to friends who have more visible disabilities.
- Physical barriers in place for LGBTQ+ members that have physical disabilities meaning that they not being able to participate and be involved. And with things like audio barriers to people that are sensitive to sound. Alot of events are based around alcohol and music. Isolating an already marginalized community.
Impact of lived experiences and recurring themes or differing perspectives:
- Systemic and Structural Barriers: The environment and systems, not the individual, are what truly disable people. All 3 videos showcased how with their intersections of disabilities with other identities, they had unequal access to education, opportunities, maybe lived experiences in the ways that they have unequal access to even transportation for instance. Supportive environments remove barriers and allow marginalized individuals to fully participate in society.
- Visibility and Representation: Being seen (or unseen) deeply affects how people are treated and included. For example Ade uses the Paralympics as a metaphor for visibility, showing how people thrive when given the chance. Chay discusses how hidden disabilities often go unrecognized, even within marginalized spaces
- Coping & Resilience Strategies: The examples from video 2 + 3 showed how people are more likely to surround themselves with other peers with similar lived experiences/identities to themselves. Shared experiences can offer strength and solidarity. But it also might have drawbacks, such in video 2, whereby Christine Sun Kim had a fear of interacting with the wider non-deaf speaking community. It might be isolating for people to not/be able to expand their circles.
List the disability considerations in your own teaching context, drawing on UAL data and your own experience.
- The workshop isn’t accessible to anyone that might have physical disabilities: height of table, reaching threads + frames, general room set up
- Machines are loud and not auditory sensitive.
- Often, we are at max capacity, and this limits the time and space we can give to students, often not leaving room to be able to properly support. Might without meaning to marginalize people even further who are already feeling that way.
Hi Sophie. Thanks so much for this post! I agree entirely that it’s environments and systems that disable people, and I also like the way that you say that this principle could apply to other marginalisations – not just disability.
You’ve rightly acknowledged towards the bottom of your post what some of the barriers are in the workshop context. There are certain barriers that exist that we don’t have control or influence over. What are the things you do have influence/control over in your context? Do you have any thoughts about how to foster inclusion in day-to-day in teaching and/or workshops? (If you’re stuck, you might want to think about attendance, punctuality, breaks, recordings, etc.) The Disability Inclusion Toolkit might also give some ideas. https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/45680/disability-inclusion-toolkit
Hi Carys, thank you for your reflection/feedback! I’ve also found the barriers within the workshop challenging to navigate, as many of the examples I initially identified relate to fixed features that can’t easily be changed. However, after reflecting on your insights and the group tutorial, I’ve realised there are inclusive practices—both those I already use and new ones I can introduce—that are within my control.
Some ideas I’d like to implement and develop further in both day-to-day teaching and workshop settings include:
– Encouraging students to let me know if they need a break or if the tutorial pace is comfortable. Increasing this kind of feedback would support both their learning and mine.
– I’m currently working on making our worksheets more accessible by aligning them with accessibility guidelines—considering elements like font size and type, layout, and use of imagery. Our current guidelines are written but not very user-friendly, so I hope these updated versions will be more effective.
– I could start sending these guidelines to students ahead of their tutorials, giving them time to review the content and prepare for the session.
– I also plan to create videos and online resources with audio over the summer to support a wider range of learning needs and make the material more accessible to all students.
Ooh such great practical steps for inclusion, Sophie! Thank you for sharing these.
Thanks Sophy, really well presented summaries.
I might add that the removal of barriers can indeed be helpful, but the videos also perhaps show that creating narrow, marginal spaces for participation may further segregate bodies and prevent them from participating in wider culture?
Like you, I am also working on document accessibility and was surprised at how little I or my team knew about this.
I think the idea of video recordings can also be helpful to support learning. Does this create a 2-tier education system where one group participates via recordings, and another IRL? I am often wondering about how to increase participation and collaboration in these ways? Good to dicuss these issues more…
many thanks, lee 🙂
Hi Lee, thank you for your thoughtful response! I completely agree, your point about how creating marginal spaces for participation can unintentionally reinforce segregation really resonated with me. As Christine Sun Kim highlights in Friends and Strangers, even well-meaning accommodations, like having interpreters, can create an additional layer of separation. Deaf individuals are often seen through the presence of their interpreter, rather than being fully recognised as independent communicators. It’s a complex issue, and as you said, removing barriers is helpful, but we also need to ensure we’re not unintentionally building new ones.
I also share your thoughts around the use of recordings. In the context of our specific workshop, I actually think recordings could serve more as a complement to in-person learning rather than a replacement. Since the tools and equipment we use are only available in our physical space, the recordings would be there to reinforce and support what’s already being accessed in person. That said, I do appreciate your caution. It’s important to continue asking whether we’re unintentionally creating a two-tiered system, even with the best of intentions.
Thanks again for raising such valuable points!
Hi Sophie,
I really appreciate you talking about the issues of making the workshop accessible, my industry has the exact same problem. Some materials we work with simply aren’t accessible- how do we overcome this? The 3D lab in Wimbledon does what it can but there’s only so much that can be done in an overcrowded and overbooked workspace.
I can’t claim to have a solution to a student being allergic to fiberglass or jesmonite, but I do have hope for future materials being focused more on natural and less aggressive chemicals. Maybe being more inclusive of 3d printed artwork could be a good start, if somebody can’t use a circular saw table, maybe they should be allowed to 3d print the pieces they were hoping to make with the marking criteria taking those needs into account,
A tricky topic! Thank you for bringing it up!
Hi Phoebe, thank you for your feedback, it is really interesting to hear how inclusivity shapes your approach to your 3D lab, and the practical considerations you’re exploring. It’s made me reflect on how accessibility could be improved more broadly, even in areas I’m not directly involved in, like assessment.
For example, allowing digital submissions of embroidery or print designs, rather than requiring physical hand-ins, might offer more flexibility while still showcasing students’ escential technical skill. Another idea could be incorporating more collaborative, team-based work that reflects real industry practice, which could create space for different strengths and working styles.
Thank you for raising these points and prompting me to think more critically about this!
Hi, Sophie, Your piece really got me thinking, and I completely agree with your point that systemic, structural changes are essential to achieving true inclusion. It made me reflect on how crucial it is to develop specialised departments that focus on disability support, while also fostering closer collaboration between these departments and the wider educational system.
One of the first steps, I think, is to shift the mindset of people working in educational settings. There needs to be a fundamental change in how we view inclusion and diversity, especially when it comes to understanding the needs of students with disabilities. While tutors usually complete some micro online training when they join schools, it often just touches on basic concepts of microaggressions and diversity. It rarely goes beyond that or tackles practical, hands-on approaches to inclusion. This leaves a lot of grey areas, and I often feel unsure about how to apply what I’ve learned in real teaching situations.
That’s why your ideas about providing structured support for students with hearing impairments and other minority groups really resonated with me. Thinking about inclusion at the curriculum level rather than as an afterthought is something I strongly agree with. I’d love to see more concrete training or guidance for educators that goes beyond the basics, helping us understand how to implement these principles in a real classroom setting.
Thanks for sharing your insights – it’s definitely made me rethink how we approach inclusion from the ground up.
Hi Ko, thank you so much for your thoughtful response. I really appreciated your point about the need for a shift in mindset within education, it’s so true that inclusion can’t just be a tick-box exercise or limited to a few basic training modules. And that being said, that training should be made comulsory for all staff.
It can be hard to know how to translate general ideas about inclusion into meaningful actions, especially in fast-paced or highly technical teaching contexts. I think your idea about stronger collaboration between disability support services and the wider teaching team is a key part of that.
Thanks again, your reflections have definitely added to my thinking on this!