by Ben Hirt
Disability and dyslexia
Under “Disability and dyslexia: what to expect”, the Disability Service Team lists an array of useful resources and information, including confidential advice, assessments, accessing equipment as well as special mentoring.
This current academic year (2022/23), a fist-year student of our BA Animation Course at LCC was accompanied by a “study assistant” provided by the Disability Service team.
The study assistant’s role is largely to support the student’s understanding of what is being discussed in class and assist with simple queries.
One challenge I was facing when being contacted by the disability team and advisor was in relation to confidentiality and privacy. During the first few weeks into Bock 1, the student in need of help did not share permission or consent to be identified to either tutors or myself. Although the student was accompanied by a study assistant at all times (the study assistant was able to identify themselves), neither tutors nor myself were able to further assist the student in need, as they did not want to be singled out during class. This provided us with a challenging situation, as many of the classes entail sophisticated computer software (digital animation software, such as Adobe After Effects, Autodesk Maya, ToonBoom Harmony). As the study assistant provided by the disability team was is not familiar with with these digital tools either, the student in need often found themselves left in limbo. Although overall tasks could be rephrased, reframed and communicated in a simpler fashion to the student in need by the study assistant, more technical information (regarding software) to complete individual tasks could not. As the student in need did not want to stand and began to avoid more complex questions regarding computer software, a widening gap of technical knowledge began to emerge. At this stage, both the student in need as well as the study assistant were lost.
Further discussions with the disability advisor as well as the study assistant revealed and confirmed an unintended consequence. By not allowing tutors to acknowledge the student in need due to an active “non-consent” in place, the study assistant’s function changed from translating into tutoring. This caused an effective delay, as more technical information had to be absorbed by the study assistant, summarised, clarified and simplified before relaying to the student in need. Although the study assistant tried their best to accommodate both student in need and tutors, this became an impossible task to manage.
Reflecting on this very incident and potential future cases when working with students with learing disabilities, further resources would have to be provided via online. A possible solution could entail a customised online library of video tutorials. However, these video tutorials would have to be purposefully designed in length, sequencing as well as pacing of content. Furthermore, learning outcomes such as Enquiry, Knowledge, Process, Communication as well as Realisation would possibly have to be reconsidered when assessing students with learning disability.
Film: Christine Sun Kim
This intimate film depicts a journey and studio visit with Christine Sun Kim. The film starts out in an apartment in Manhattan (NYC), where we meet Christine getting ready to leave. As we follow her journey through the city and into what appears to be her studio space, Christine begins introducing herself as well as her studio space. It is at this stage that we realise as an audience, that Christine, unlike most viewers watching the video, did not hear any of the sounds whilst traveling through the city. The beginning sequences of this film eludes to the fact that most often we assume rather than observe and question. As Christine is recording audio on the streets of Manhattan, before resuming her journey to her studio space, the viewer possibly assumes that Christine is not only a sound artist but also able to hear sounds, much like the viewer.
Christine’s studio and art practice reveals an array of projects and approaches translating sound in a physical and visual state. Various electronic- and sound devices are connected to artificially connected membranes, often providing vibrating surfaces stimulated by electricity. These resonating and vibrating surfaces take on a kinetic function when interacting with buckets of paint, paint brushes and paper. Arbitrary patterns caused by splashes of paint begin to visualise an interactive depiction of sound. Individual sounds as well as soundscapes in their entirety visually manifest and reveal a world of colour.
Reflecting on the film, Christine’s disability as well as art practice, I began to question my assumptions when working with tutors and students alike. As sound translates in a different fashion in Christine’s case, it by no means is absent. Quite the opposite seems the case. Christine’s disability enables her to experience sound through ulterior means. Christine’s sensory system possibly perceives and translates air-pressure and vibration differently. Sound is not absent in her case, but present in a different form.
As we are currently re-writing Year 1 in the BA Animation Course at LCC, we began to think about how to reincorporate sound. It is by pure coincident, that sound and its importance to animation has been on the forefront of our team’s conversation when reconsidering Unit contents. Sound as a medium offers an excellent opportunity for not only teaching purposes but also sensitising students to ulterior methods of perception. Christine’s film has therefor provided me with many ideas regarding potential course content and exercises. Furthermore, the film opens up a broader conversation about course materials, content and exercises in relation to accessibility when working with students of disability.
#DisabilityTooWhite Creator Vilissa Thompson
In this interview and article, Anita Cameron states that non-disabled people of colour often do not recognise disabled people of colour. Anita critically examines the current climate amongst African American communities and organisations. Anita states that these communities tend to generalise and refer to the medical model of disability, rather than providing a larger context in media. Anita advocates in fact for more representation of disabled people of colour in media. Individuals, their circumstances and stories should be presented with more opportunity to be portrait and represented. Creative representation on screen, in writing, acting, directing but truly in any creative endeavour. As Anita states in the interview, a lack of representation implies an absence of financial models und funding opportunities.
Upon reflecting on the article and interview, the question of representation in relation to isolation became more evident. In the interview, Anita points out that underrepresentation effectively leads to isolation, as disabled people of colour are not represented on screen. At best, people of colour take on the role of portraying disabled people of colour. This presents a false dichotomy. Instead of empowering disabled people of colour by actively casting them in TV-Shows and movies, this opportunity is taken away from them. This missed opportunity is a missed opportunity of inclusiveness and ultimately hope.
The notion of of over powering marginalised groups whilst advocating for them is another point that truly resonated with me. It is a fine line between trying to assist and contribute to the conversation, whist not (unintentionally) convoluting the dialogue. The balance between a more active- versus passive role would have to be carefully calibrated and orchestrated with all parties involved. As Year 1 Leader of the BA Animation Course at LCC, it is often challenging to notice, manage and facilitate such conversations. Managing large student numbers alongside tutors in Year 1, there is a certain amount of constant, arbitrary commotion carrying various conversations at any given time. Hence, specific projects would have to be set in place in order to direct the conversation and focus more specifically on this topic. However, I do believe that this subject and topic would benefit from a collaboration with an organisation providing the necessary expertise.
Deaf-accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring Eve and Mary Are Having Coffee while chronically ill by Khairani Barokka (Okka)
Pain hides in plain sight. In this article Khairani Barokka describes the challenges of both, modern science and society to cope with chronic pain that is neither visible nor detectible. The article effectively juxtaposes the difference in health care and medical systems between the United States and UK. Thanks to a more hollistic approach under the NHS, the author was finally able to enter a holistic pain management programme through the NHS. This not only enabled them to get access to pain specialists, but also had an important psychological effect: It acknowledged their pain and chronic condition as such, finally made them feel understood.
In Year 1 of the BA Animation Course at LCC, I was confronted with a first year student revealing an illness of chronic pain during a personal tutorial. Much to the detriment of the student, medical examinations and records (conducted by the NHS) has not revealed any particular cause, nor did it state a chronic condition as such. However, this did (and does not) make a difference in the students life, as they are struggling on a daily basis to manage basic tasks. It is an immense effort for the student to additionally keep up with assignments and tasks whilst at University. Besides modest extensions, additional time and personal tutoring, there are little resources available to assist the student. As modern medicine appears equally helpless in diagnosis and approach, there is a sense of despair that is hard to ignore. Unlike in Barokka’s case, the fist year student has been brushed off by the NHS as well as GP and not been taken seriously. To make matters worse, their legal guardian and parent do not believe that their child suffers from any chronic condition or pain. At this stage, animation, art and the University as such no longer has priority as both student and student services are trying to find ulterior solutions accommodating the students more urgent circumstances.
Disabled People: The Voice of Many
A Note From Birds Of Paradise | Jhinuk Sarkar & Robert Sofltey Gale
In the article: A Note From Birds of Paradise, Robert Softley Gale states that a wider population still perceives disabled and impaired people as vulnerable. However, instead of tapping into hopelessness and despair, he reframes the conversation and turns it around. Gale states that the disabled community needs to give others good reasons to want to hear about their lives in order familiarise themselves with the challenges and circumstances disabled people are facing. Gale also mentions that there (at first) seemed to be a conflict of interest when communicating to both, the disabled and abled audience at the same time. Could one side understand the messaging without the other side being left out or offended? The actual challenge was to overcome shame and not shying away from presenting disability to the public eye. Decades of a hiding away culture amongst disabled people have created not only a void but absence in the public eye. Conversations that should have been held in public did not take place. By not hiding away disability and in fact embedding it through performances and art, Gale states that the conversation has matured, now better able to articulate the needs of disabled communities.
Gale’s article emphasises an important aspect that I was unaware of: The fact that disability to this day is often hidden away by society enlarge. Hence, disabled people do not feel comfortable addressing their circumstances. As Year 1 Leader, I am holding personal tutorial with every singe student durning Block 1 as well as Block 2. There have been occurrences where students would address wider aspects of disabilities (often not visible to the naked eye). I often rely on student to feel comfortable in sharing this information with me, as it is not compulsory to do so for them. Knowing more about a student’s individual circumstances and struggles often helps facilitating and adjust/adapt assignments or group work. However, it is a fine line between providing a confidential space for a disabled student to share their challenges but also not be shying away to do so. Under ideal circumstances, we would be able to address individual disabilities in the collective without singling out any particular student. This would help inform future discourse, student learning and inform creative endeavour’s along the way.
The following quote by Gale struck me as particular relevant in relation to this debate:
All we can ever really do is share our stories – tell people about our experiences of the world in which we live with as much humanity, honesty and empathy as possible. We cannot make the outside world see us in a certain way – we can’t force them to stop desexualising of fetishising us, to stop patronising us, or to stop othering us. All we can ever do (I truly believe) is share a little bit of our truths, welcome “others” into our world and invite them to look around for a while
Robert Softley Gale
One reply on “Blog Task 01: Disability”
I really found it useful to read about your teaching context throughout this blog entry through real life examples. I haven’t had much contact with disability services beyond training. Your first example highlighted the myriad role of an assistant and made me think about having course specific assistants who could understand and be versed in technical knowledge, but I know this is not something UAL offers. It also pointed to rules and regulations which won’t always support a student in the way it was intended to and the need to be nimble. I especially enjoyed reading your description on the film about Christine Sun Kim which describes the footage itself, as it foregrounded things that I did not at first see when watching it. Lastly it was good to read how you recognise your own positionality whilst thinking about how you are “trying to assist and contribute to the conversation” (in relation to the disability too white article). Although it is always a challenge to manage these conversations, it’s the attitude and self awareness you bring that I think in the end the students will appreciate.