From the videos, resources and workshop 1 & 2 a key point that stuck out to me and kept re-entering my mind is the prospect of not being ‘seen,’ or invisibility as a privilege, seamlessly blending into everyday life and not sticking out, something I take for granted. For example being white in a majority white country, being able bodied etc – not being othered. The ability to ‘pass’ is a privilege, which also made me think of invisible disabilities and in the context of privilege walks the pressure to ‘out’ yourself. ‘It places the participant in a position of identity threat.’ (Thomas, C, 2022)
Individuals who belong to more than one marginalised group face compounded discrimination, their ability to be invisible is taken from them in multiple ways which can result in additional challenges and barriers, things I had not considered before. A similar theme that occurred throughout the interviews is the idea that one particular group isn’t homogeneous, and intersectionality creates a blending of opinions within different cultures/groups. ‘Identities are dynamic and contextual to time, location and context.’ (Thomas, C, 2022) In the case of Ade Adeption he mentions how things like transportation can discriminate against individuals with disabilities, drawing similarities to segregation. While Rosa Parks challenged racial segregation on buses, individuals with disabilities may face segregation in transportation due to inadequate accommodations or designated seating areas. This example highlights how discrimination by design affects individuals at the intersection of disability and race. Instead of a designated area for wheelchair users, what if the whole concept of a bus was redesigned from the ground up to cater to everyone? A separate space only adds to the disadvantage of being visible.
These thoughts led me into thinking more about space and, in particular, the space I work in. I work in the Digital Fabrication Lab at CCW and how accessible is the workshop? Or the building? For example, I could be more conscious of clutter and keeping access points clear, but if the space was redesigned from the ground up how could that benefit everyone?
This led me back to thinking about invisible disabilities and how to help students with them. For example for those with sensory difficulties, there could be a place that’s clearly visible with headphones available to block out outside noise, reducing the issue of ‘identity threat.’ (Thomas, C, 2022) as they can access them themselves. This more inclusive addition also benefits everyone, not just serving a specific group of students. For students with language barriers or hearing difficulties I consciously try to speak clearly and precisely and use the aid of physical examples of work to explain visually, drawing on my own experience as an artist as I find it very helpful personally. I’m also conscious of references I give, diversifying my knowledge of artists/designers/etc is key to reflect the cohort of students and also broaden my understanding of different perspectives. One thing I’ve already found with this section of the PG Cert is the importance of other perspectives in broadening our own.
Bibliography
Thomas, Cate (2022) Overcoming Identity Threat: Using Persona Pedagogy in Intersectionality and Inclusion Training, Social Sciences 11
ParalympicsGB (2020) Ade Adepitan gives amazing explanation of systemic racism. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAsxndpgagU&ab_channel=ParalympicsGB (Accessed 18 April 2024)
Parapride (2023) Intersectionality in Focus: Empowering Voices during UK Disability History Month 2023. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yID8_s5tjc&t=4s&ab_channel=Parapride (Accessed 18 April 2024)
Art21 (2023) Christine Sun Kim in “Friends & Strangers”- Season 11 | Art 21. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpRaEDlLsI&ab_channel=Art21 (Accessed 18 April 2024)
Hi James,
I enjoyed your honest reflections on recognising your own privilege in terms of invisibility and ability. I agree that the videos illuminated that no group is homogenous, which was made more evident by the intersectional identities of the people being interviewed.
I like that you highlighted the issue of discrimination by design, which is something that I hadn’t paid much attention to, but certainly shows the way in which societal segregation still exists and amplifies hypervisibility against some marginalised groups.
I personally struggled with considering how to apply these ideas to my own teaching context, so your blog was helpful in providing tangible and practical solutions for students with different needs, particularly ‘invisible disabilities’. I have mostly been approaching inclusivity in the classroom through the idea you mentioned at the end: diversity of perspectives, voices, authors, speakers etc. I’d be interested to know how you might attempt to make your teaching space inclusive for other ‘invisible disabilities’ such as those who are neurodivergent.
Hi Dalia,
Thanks for your comment. I think because we’re moving site (from Camberwell to Lime Grove) my mind is constantly on space and how it’s designed, as currently in my role that’s all I’m thinking about so discrimination by design really stuck out to me from the resources. In terms of making the new space more inclusive it’s something I really want to put good consideration into, especially after doing the PG Cert. I think headphones students can access is a good start, maybe even making a quiet area if possible and also making resources easier for students to access in general, for example using visual aids for common problems/questions for those students who would potentially find it difficult to ask for help.
Hi James
Enjoyed reading your blog. Especially the attention you bring to visible and invisible disability, as we are not always aware of the environment that we teach in, are the studio spaces suitable for all students? The studio space I work in has very high benches (tables) for pattern cutting, so do these need to be redesigned by the university so that they can have adjustable height on them allowing us to be more inclusive with students with neurodiversity needs. This could also benefit all students, as we are not all the same height, and we could adjust tables to their requirement needs. Distance between the benches has been set to the minimum of one metre to allow maximum students to be in the room, but this will still not allow us to compensate for a wheelchair access if needed. This now needs questioning about the design of the room and how we can make it more accessible. As we are both technicians, making and doing creates lots of mess in the studios space, but thank you for highlighting, that we need keep them tidy, as a way of making it more accessible to others. I would be interested to know the diverse range of information you give to your students in the workshops, which could help me within my workshops too.
Hi Navin,
Thanks for your comment. With moving site I’ve put a lot of thought into discrimination by design and it’s something I hope to tackle when designing the new space. I remember we had a discussion at one of the workshops about how we have to work around the designs already set out by the buildings we occupy, wether they’re new buildings or in my case an old Victorian building at Lime Grove. This makes things difficult as often these buildings are not set out with everyone in mind, so designing a space around that can be a challenge.
Adjustable-height benches would definitely help, making them accessible for everyone, including those with neurodiversity needs. And yeah, the one-meter gap might need a rethink for better wheelchair access.
Keeping spaces tidy is a small but important step towards accessibility. As for diverse info in workshops, I try to include a wide range of perspectives and examples from different artists and designers, whether that’s posters, images, or 3D prints.
Hi James,
Thank you for sharing your insights! I couldn’t agree with you more about your points on discrimination by design. And how this not only increases the visibility of the marginalised groups. But also questions how something being so visible can still be ignored. I think about how a workshop can be more inclusive and often, factors such as architecture have been the greatest challenge to overcome as we attempt to adapt the workshop for everyone. However, the points you mentioned about using headphones to block outside noise are useful to know about and raises the importance of adaptability when certain factors are out of control.
Best,
Priscilla
Hi Priscilla,
Thanks for your comment! With the move to Lime Grove we have the change to shape a new workshop environment to be more inclusive which is a very exciting proposal. The only frustration is how discrimination by design can ultimately be started from the architectural model of the building itself, and sometimes fighting against that can feel like a losing battle.
Using headphones to mitigate outside noise underscores the importance of adaptability and finding practical solutions within our control.