Inclusive Practices: Disability

UAL Disability Service Webpages

‘We can change buildings, and courses, and attitudes’ 1,

Great sentiment, how?

A monochrome web page with a lack of contrasting colours, images or sounds, with text small in places (size 11 or 12). It does not do justice to the range of services provided by UAL (more than I presumed) to support the student cohort.  A 2minute video ‘The Social Model of Disability at UAL’, contains voices, presumably from students with disabilities, sharing their experience at UAL to a background of interlocking (or not) graphics. It is unclear, they do not show anyone, it does not state if they are actors recordings. You cannot visit the page link to where the video has been uploaded (e.g. Youtube) and you cannot enlarge the screen.

‘Each and every one of us is different – but it can feel like the world expects us all to be the same’ 2, not surprising, sadly given the lack of visibility and inclusivity here.

Film by Christine Sun Kim

Hosted by Vimeo, you must sign up for an account before watching. ‘Sound vibrations are visceral and internal in contrast to sign language’ 3, having 2 hearing aids, permanent tinnitus and poor signing skills, I was immediately captivated and inspired. Kim, who is deaf, discusses how sound is often perceived as something that is exclusive to hearing people, but she argues that everyone experiences sound in their own way. Through a series of performances, Kim demonstrates how she interacts with sound and music, using her body, technology, and other tools to create and feel vibrations and rhythms. Ultimately, the video celebrates the richness and diversity of sound as a medium that can be experienced and enjoyed by all. ‘Let’s listen with our eyes not just our ears. That would be the ideal’, agreed.

#DisabilityTooWhite article/interview with Vilissa Thompson

Disability activist and blogger Vilissa Thompson, started discussions in the disability community utilising the hashtag regarding the media visibility and representation of disabled people of colour. She says she is ‘disheartened that a lot of African American organizations do not talk about disability’, or if they do, it is not in ‘our voices. They talk about it in the way of the medical model of disability. 4 [Our] experience is as important to the black experience as every other part of blackness’ 5. 

This generated controversy as she highlights the lack of representation in popular media, such as tv or film, and if included the parts are played by non disabled actors. A perfectible reasonable observation and interpretation. 

‘There is a lack of representation and diversity within the disability community from the organizations that are supposed to empower us as individuals…there is a lack of diversity in those voices and those stories.’ The article from 2016 and since we had the Oscar winning CODA (no deaf / disability POC representation) and in my option the superior Oscar nominated Sound of metal staring Riz Ahmed (not deaf in real life). There is still a lot more room for representation of disabled people of colour in the media to be more present, to demystify what it means to be of colour and disabled.

‘Deaf Accessibility for Spoonies: Lessons from Touring Eve and Mary Are Having Coffee’ by Khairani Barokka

‘Pain hides in plain sight.’

A sentiment I’ve rarely contemplated and taken for granted.

Khairani Barokka’s discusses her experience of touring the theatre production “Eve and Mary are Having Coffee” while managing chronic illness and chronic pain. Exploring the intersections between deafness and chronic illness, she highlights the unique challenges that arise when creating accessible theatre for audiences with multiple disabilities. Through her experience, she emphasises the importance of considering the needs of all audience members, and creating accessible spaces that allow for full participation and enjoyment for everyone. 

‘I’d made sure to enforce rules on Eve and Mary Are Having Coffee: it would be D/deaf and hearing-impaired accessible, and only performed in wheelchair-accessible venues. The script was put on a Google Document, and the shortened link given to D/deaf or hearing-impaired audience members, who were asked to identify themselves beforehand, and were given iPads or iPhones with which to read the poetry. In Vienna, the URL was projected onto a wall, which meant anyone who saw it inside the gallery – or indeed outside it, as I performed in a window space facing onto the street – could read the script.’6

The article provides insights and lessons for practitioners in the field of applied theatre and performance, encouraging them and me to prioritise accessibility and inclusivity in their and my own work.

Terms of Reference Journal from Shades of Noir (SoN) around Disability

How do we define disability?

‘…[the] social model of disability [and] its limitations are more severe than have been recognised […]’ – Samaha (2007) in What Good Is the Social Model of Disability?

The journal asks how do we define disability, they have evolved through frameworks, highlighting the Social Model it states we must understand the difference between ‘impairment and disability’ 7.

‘impairment’ defines the individual features of body or mind, ‘disability’, on the other hand, describes the impact that the physical environment creates in exclusion, discrimination and oppression of the body (Sandal & Auslander, 2005). 8

Developed in the 1970s it remains the dominant framework in Anglo-American disability studies. it does not account for the ‘dual needs of people with learning disabilities in that it presupposes a solely outward imposition from wider society; secondly, it does not consider impairments that are directly linked to social circumstances such as (economic) poverty or malnutrition (Shakespeare, 2006); and finally, some have begun to highlight the failure of the model to account for the wider intersectionality within the experience of (disabled) people of colour.’ The article highlights that the intersection of race and disability remains a particularly neglected area. I am curious how we can build new models?

Terms of reference from SoN around Mental Health

There are over a 100 ‘Key Terms’ 9 in relation to mental health, I must confess, not all I have heard before and I have little direct or indirect experience with many. Education is not only for our cohorts, we must strive for continuous improvement through reflective practice. Understanding and normalising the language associated with mental health is the first step.

Anxiety

I focused on this article as it is a term that has increased from a dialogue with my students in the past 6 years. The article explains what anxiety is and how it affects us both emotionally and physically. It emphasises that feeling anxious from time to time is normal, especially in stressful situations. However, if the feelings of anxiety become strong and persistent, it may develop into a mental health problem. They provide examples of situations that can trigger anxiety and how it can affect our daily lives. 

‘You might find that you’re worrying all the time, perhaps about things that are a regular part of everyday life, or about things that aren’t likely to happen – or even worrying about worrying’ 

Familiar dialogue experienced from some of our students in the past,

It’s important, as educators, to recognise the signs of anxiety and seek support if it starts to impact our student’s ability to function in their daily lives. Overall, the article provides helpful information and resources for individuals who may be experiencing anxiety. 

Deafness – increasing?

Language learning company Preply recently determined that 50 percent of Americans used subtitles and closed captions the vast majority of the time they watch content 11. Could it be increased hearing impairment (overexposed headphone use perhaps?) or could it be muddled dialogue, modern speaker design or are people simply more used to using subtitles? In either case will it make it easier for those with sensory impairments to get alternative access to information, such as BSL interpretation? I hope so.

1. https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/student-services/disability-and-dyslexia 
2. https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/210918/Transcript-The-Social-Model-of-Disability-at-UAL-with-Audio-Description-PDF-286KB.pdf
3. www.vimeo.com/31083172  
4. www2.le.ac.uk/offices/accessability/staff/accessabilitytutors/information-for-accessability-tutors/the-social-and-medical-model-of-disability 
5. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/confronting-the-whitewash_b_10574994?guccounter=1
6. Khairani Barokka (Okka) (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, 387-392, DOI: 10.1080/13569783.2017.1324778
7. Shades Of Noir , Disabled People: The Voice of Many, Published on Aug 12, 2020 – https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/disabled_people 
8. Sandal, M., & Auslander, P. (2005). The Disability Studies Reader. New York: Routledge.
9. https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/mhchtor 
10.  Deaf Architecture Front (DAF), Christopher Laing (Signstrokes), https://www.architecture.com/whats-on/deaf-architecture-front-launch
11. Everyone Watches TV with Subtitles Now. How’d That Happen?https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/why-more-people-use-subtitles-1234875864/