disability

unit two – inclusive practices

blog post one – (including extended activity)

1), a film by christine sun kim

video source: vimeo

“now I am reclaiming sound as my property” – christine sun kim

artist, christine sun kim is questioning the ownership of sound in this beautiful short film by filmmaker and photographer, todd selby.

kim has been deaf from birth and in her art installation she explores the “physicality of sound”. the film follows kim putting on make-up and getting ready for the day in her new york apartment, before travelling to her studio and stopping to record the sound of the traffic, en route. in the studio she undergoes various experiments exploring the physical manifestation of sound. she uses paints, inks and balloons to create a visual and physical representation.

she makes “seismic calligraphy” by dipping nails in ink and vibrating them across a sheet of paper. she is questioning the social norms of how sound is perceived and inviting us as the viewer to ask such questions too. “kim has developed a practice of low-fi experimentation that aims to re-appropriate sound by translating it into movement and vision” (nowness. 2020)

the film really made me think about my own practice as a psychotherapist, and in my teaching capacity – delivering workshops, and how accessible are they really? i have worked with deaf students in psychotherapy and the students have told me that as long as i talk slowly and clearly they can lip read and they can understand. i haven’t taught workshops to any deaf students as yet and after watching the video i feel that i could educate myself more and receive specific training for this to make the workshops more accessible and inclusive.

this film could also be used in teaching when looking at the work of an artist, to promote more visibility of deaf artists, and disability more generally. it is said that when one sense is impaired other senses become heightened and this seems to be the case. the visual representation here with the bright colours and rich texture and shape is stunning. a truly beautiful film.

i cannot believe how much people take sound for granted. deaf people are so much better at listening,” – christine sun kim

references

1). {{ ($root.post && $root.post.id) ? $root.post.translations[$root.lang].socialtitle : $root.seo.pagetitle: translate: striphtml }} (no date) nowness. available at: https://www.nowness.com/story/todd-selby-x-christine-sun-kim (accessed: 18 May 2023).

2). sekoff, h. (2012) a deaf artist explores sound, huffPost. available at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/christine-sun-kim-deaf-pe_n_1870489 (accessed: 18 May 2023).

3). selby, t. (2023) christine sun kim – 10min, vimeo. available at: https://vimeo.com/31083172 (accessed: 18 may 2023).

4). snesbitt (2020) new publication: angie keefer: ‘second thoughts’, Plug in ica. available at: https://plugin.org/exhibitions/new-publication-angie-keefer-second-thoughts/ (accessed: 18 May 2023).

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2), ual disability service webpages

“disability only becomes a tragedy when society fails to provide the things needed to lead one’s daily life.” – judith heumann

the disability service uses the social model and supports students with physical impairments, learning differences, such as dyslexia, sensory impairments, autism, and long-standing health or mental health conditions.

i apply these resources to my own teaching practice by making students aware of the support available, such as individual support agreements (isa’s), and also by making the teaching environment physically accessible, as well as psychologically and emotionally accessible – by accounting for diversity of cognition and learning. an example of this is to welcome stimming and breaks when needed, and to use students research to further training within our team on this subject.

“the social model of disability helps us recognise barriers that make life harder for disabled people. these barriers are identified as being the physical environment, people’s attitudes, the way people communicate, how institutions and organisations are run, and how society discriminates against those of us who are perceived as ‘different’. removing these barriers creates equality and offers disabled people more independence, choice, and control.” (social model of disability: Language)

references

1), ual (2023) disability and dyslexia, ual. available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/student-services/disability-and-dyslexia (accessed: 18 may 2023).

2), social model of disability: language (no date) social model of disability: language | disability rights uk. available at: https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/social-model-disability-language#:~:text=The%20Social%20Model%20of%20Disability%20states%20that%20people%20ha (Accessed: 18 May 2023).

3), #disabilitytoowhite article/interview with vilissa thompson

the “disabilitytoowhite” hashtag came about when disability rights advocate and campaigner, vilissa thompson commented on the tweet of  fashion blogger alice wong, who was calling out the industry for not representing enough people of colour with a disability. thompson, commented #disabilitytoowhite and a discussion came about of how to elevate the voices of disabled people of colour.

this made me think of the resources I use for teaching and if I can incorporate more disabled people of colour e.g. educational videos or photographs. I can also integrate the research students do on this subject into group supervision within the team so that there is more representation.

references

1), blahovec, S. (2017) confronting the whitewashing of disability: Interview with #disabilitytoowhite creator vilissa thompson, huffpost. available at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/confronting-the-whitewash_b_10574994 (accessed: 18 may 2023).

2), burke, S. (2023) model aaron rose philip is on a mission to level fashion’s playing field, british vogue. available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/aaron-rose-philip-british-vogue-interview (accessed: 18 may 2023).

4), deaf accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring ‘eve and mary are having coffee’ by khairani barokka

pain hides in plain sight” – khairani barokka

khairani barokkas article starts with her saying that “pain hides in plain sight” what she is talking about here is hidden disability. we do not know if someone is in chronic pain unless they tell us and then we might not fully understand unless we take the time to listen and to explore what it means to them.

barokka travels to various countries and performs an hour solo poetry art show, eve and mary are having coffee, whilst in pain. she paints part of her body blue as a visual representation of that pain, in an attempt to show her audience what she is going through. she has been traumatised by the pain and re-traumatised by the care, or lack thereof, that she received by the medical establishment. she talks of the intersectionality of living with chronic pain as an artist, a woman, as an Indonesian woman living away from home, living with what she believes to be intergenerational trauma, manifesting somatically in her body.

‘as I imagine is the case for most, the sheer impossibility of human communication is why we attempt to bridge it anyway, by writing, speaking, creating, by existing in groups, by sustaining ourselves for the attempt to bridge gaps.’ she uses art as a way of trying to communicate. (admin, 2014)

it takes time and boundaries to create a frame in which the client feels safe enough to share their vulnerabilities. this is much harder in the classroom, as it is a different kind of relationship than the therapeutic relationship but some of the principles can be transferred, such as aiming to create a safe space by establishing boundaries, being clear about ground rules around how we treat each other, and to actively produce exercises where hidden disabilities are explored, such as having a list of hidden disabilities and pictures of people and to ask the students to match the disability to the person and to say why they have chosen that particular person.

barokka talks about how she went out of her way to make the show accessible for all and realised that it was not always accessible for her. she would lay down for the show to ease some of the pain and this was an act of self-care, of which she advocates. I would ask students what they would need if they were in chronic pain. how would they like to be treated? how would they take care of themselves and where would they ask for help.

references

1), admin (2014) eve and mary are having coffee : : : : : by khairani barokka, mz baltazars Lab. available at: https://www.mzbaltazarslaboratory.org/eve-and-mary-are-having-coffee-by-khairani-barokka/ (accessed: 18 may 2023).

2), (no date) deaf-accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring eve and mary are … available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13569783.2017.1324778 (accessed: 18 May 2023).

5), terms of reference journal from shades of noir (son) around disability. p 56/57 ‘creating context.

“what matters is not to know the world but to change it.”

― frantz fanon

“sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. when they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new
evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is
extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. and because it
is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize,
ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with the core belief.”
― frantz fanon

i was delighted to come across this franz fanon quote in the shades of noir publication on disability. during my psychotherapy training we read fanon, one of the few black psychiatrists/psychotherapists we studied, i might add. with the profession being mainly made up of middle or upper middle-class white men historically, and now mainly middle or upper-class white women.

i remember holding fanon in high regard for transcending his beginnings in french martinique to study psychiatry in lyon france, for standing up for his beliefs and fighting for the independence of algeria from france, and for speaking out and campaigning about racism with many publications, namely black skin, white masks. he also studied phenomenology and merleau ponty, one of my favorite existential philosophers.

this quote really stood out for me as i often work with core beliefs in psychotherapy and counselling with students. i agree wholeheartedly with fanon, that we hold core beliefs about ourselves which are very strong, often originating from childhood, and based on our experience from our caregivers or important people or events early on, especially at school and the education system. a big part of psychotherapy is challenging these core beliefs and this is incredibly difficult because, as fanon says, cognitive dissonance happens -because the belief is so ingrained into the unconscious and it is familiar. it is more comfortable to hold on to a negative core belief, which is familiar than to challenge it and create a new positive belief, which is unfamiliar.

i would love to apply fanons work to my teaching practice. in the imposter syndrome psychotherapeutic workshops I teach about core beliefs, and i will apply this resource to my teaching practice by quoting fanon.

i will also integrate the research/work my students do on this subject into my teaching/professional practice by exploring the core beliefs of students from black and ethnic minority backgrounds and those with disabilities. I will also explore this as a team in order to inform our practice.

an example of this is that in the workshop i will invite students to share their own core beliefs and ask them to think critically about where they came from and how they perhaps helped to serve them as children, but how now they are no longer helpful, and to the contrary – they are destructive and preventing them from being their whole authentic selves.

references

1), publisher, s.o.n. (2020) disabled people: the voice of many, issuu. available at: https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/disabled_people/224 (accessed: 18 may 2023).

2), gebretensae, t. (2021) pertinent issues on the war in tigray, the elephant. available at: https://www.theelephant.info/op-eds/2021/12/26/pertinent-issues-on-the-war-in-tigray/ (accessed: 18 may 2023).

3), fanon, f. (1967). black skin, white masks. new york: grove.

extended activity: ● read the terms of reference from son around mental health and choose an article to reflect on it.

safe spaces:

what are they, and why do they matter?

this article by katy jail explores what it means by a safe space. she identifies a safe space being where one can express themselves freely without the fear of judgement or oppression that is there outside the boundary of the safe space. a place where “as a minority you are not to be challenged on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background” (27061696, n.d.)

some spaces are promoted as safe if there are others from certain minority groups together and so there is the opportunity to hear similar voices, stories, experiences.

intersectionality is addressed when stating that certain aspects of a space may feel safe and other aspects may not. an example given is that some groups may feel safe for women but not for people of colour.

the article goes on to say that safe spaces are important because for people who experience oppression, most places feel unsafe – such as nightclubs, and social venues.

safe spaces in terms of social events, political meetings etc, in where people who experience feeling othered can come together in a space where they can truly express who they are.

the author goes on to say that there have been arguments against the safe space – it breeds prejudice, it’s a place to hide, everyone should be allowed. she goes on to counter these arguments by saying that the spaces are about empowerment, support, love and solidarity.

this is really important in the educational environment in which we work. it has made me think about how to make the spaces we offer, within the counselling and health advice team, safe spaces. this is about finding ways to make the space feel safe in the first place, by advertising to attract more people of colour into the counselling and psycho-education workshops. we can gain feedback from students about their experience within the space and if they felt safe.

references,

1), 27061696 (n.d.). mental health & creative healing. [online] Iissuu. available at: https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/mhchtor.