These workshops have been designed with creative professionals in mind, but you don’t have to be a creative professional to join in. If you’re a disabled person who’s curious, interested or has something to say about these issues, you’re welcome. You need to sign up as a member of Difference in order to participate.
Experiencing the World Through Sound
A conversation with Matthew Tuckey and Richard Boggie, with practical creative exercises
What happens when access isn’t something you bolt onto a show at the end? What could we make if accessibility was part of the creative process from the very beginning?
Sound designer and neurodivergent artist Matthew Tuckey and visually impaired playwright Richard Boggie will talk about what it means to find your way through the world through sound. They’ll explore the barriers they encounter, the things that sound can make possible, and what happens when access becomes a creative starting point rather than a problem to solve.
Then it’s your turn. Matthew and Richard will set you a short creative task to explore some of these ideas for yourself. You’ll have time to play, experiment and see what happens, with the option to share what you’ve made or discovered with the group.
You will need: access to Zoom and a recording device separate from the device you are using for Zoom, such as a phone. You might also want a pen, paper or something else to make notes with.
Access Let Down / Make It Work
A conversation with Joe Hufton and Vici Wreford-Sinnott, followed by creative reflection
What does disabled leadership actually look like? What happens when you have to fight for your own access while also leading a team, making decisions and trying to meet everyone else’s needs?
Joe Hufton and Vici Wreford-Sinnott will talk honestly about their experiences of leadership as disabled people – the compromises, the frustrations, the things they’ve learned and the ways their relationships with themselves and disability have changed along the way.
This isn’t a workshop about getting access ‘right’. It’s about what happens when you’re the person who has to ask for it, argue for it, explain it and sometimes make it work yourself.
After the conversation, Joe and Vici will set a creative reflection exercise. There’ll be time to think about your own experiences and ideas, and the option to share them with the wider group.
You will need: access to Zoom and something to write with or use to record your reflections.
Daily Activism – Know Your Rights
A practical workshop about knowing your rights, grassroots activism and doing something about it
What are your rights as a disabled person? How do you know when you’re being discriminated against? And what can you actually do when it happens?
Disabled people are often expected to put up with barriers, explain the law to other people and politely ask for things that should already be ours. This workshop starts from a different place: knowing your rights, knowing when they’re being ignored and working out what you want to do about it.
A grassroots campaigner will share their experiences of building campaigns out of necessity, alongside practical information about disability rights and challenging discrimination.
There’ll be space to share the things that make you angry, connect with other disabled people and think about the issues you want to change. Then we’ll start turning those frustrations into action – developing campaign ideas, thinking about who needs to hear them and working out what you could do next.
You might leave with the beginnings of a campaign. You might leave with some new tools for challenging discrimination. Or you might just leave knowing that the thing you’ve been struggling with isn’t yours to quietly put up with.
You will need: access to Zoom and something to write with or use to record your thoughts.
A Creative Session With Our Archival Researcher - Complete the pre-registration questionnaire
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