Highlighted by the remarkable talent of artists with disabilities, Raw Beauty Project is showcasing powerful women with limited mobility who are unstoppable in their lives, however do experience stops in accessing basic healthcare. Their vision is for all to be ABLE to obtain equal and accessible healthcare.

Welcome to the first AOI meet-up for disabled illustrators, in the widest possible definition. Book below or via our Eventbrite.

The Mixer is the disabled illustrators AOI meet-up. Our meet-up is open to all disabled illustrators, in the widest possible definition, and anyone else who would like to help & support those with a disability and learn more.

Our first meet-up will be an opportunity to get to know each other and tell our own personal stories.

The Mixer is about everyone involved to feel welcome to take part in building a community of trust. This is a place for disabled artists and illustrators to feel safe to speak up about any hardships and issues we have been challenged with and the solutions we came up with.

We want to celebrate our proud moments, share our wins and most importantly – the love of making art.

The Mixer meet-up is a safe bubble to make new friends, get inspired and be supported. It is your space to blow some air, seek advice or simply share your art, tips and tricks to making it within the creative industry.

All illustrators are welcome no matter where they stand in their professional career and whether they are an AOI member or not.

Accessibility

The AOI would like to make events accessible to all, where possible. Please let us know your access requirements one week in advance by emailing [email protected]

Join Dreams For Kids DC and our Executive Director Glenda for a creative afternoon of drawing. This clinic will feature a basic art lesson.

What: Dreams For Kids DC has set up a virtual art clinic for youth with physical and developmental disabilities. This clinic will focus on basic drawing skills. All you need is a pencil, eraser, colored pencils, and paper. We will be drawing dinosaurs. No previous drawing experience necessary. Glenda will breakdown the steps to make it easy for a beginner!

When: Sunday, September 26th from 1:30 - 2:30PM EST

Where: Online via Zoom (You will receive the zoom conference link a few days before the clinic)

Who: Participants with physical and developmental disabilities aged 4 - 24, we also invite their siblings to attend as well! We also invite DFKDC volunteers and friends to join us online to make this a truly inclusive session. Please read about all of our new digital programming (in light of COVID-19) here: https://www.dreamsforkidsdc.org/programs

This online workshop is all about helping arts orgs deliver online events which address the access requirements of people with disability.

About this Event

With so much of our lives having moved online, arts companies, cultural venues and other creative industry organisations are now delivering much more of their activities using online and digital channels.

It’s a huge shift and we all need to upskill so online content and services can be accessed and enjoyed by the 1 in 5 Australians who live with disability, a significant market segment for providers of arts and culture.

With the support of the Australia Council For The Arts, our new Delivering Accessible Online Events workshop has been developed to specially address the needs of arts and cultural organisations so they can improve the accessibility and inclusiveness of their relevant online activities.

• Discover practical solutions and ‘easy wins’ for delivering accessible online performances, online exhibitions, online rehearsals and creative developments, webinars, online panel discussions and meetings, and social media
• Receive useful resources
• Learn from trainers who are arts experts and who live with disability
• Attend our standard workshop or book a bespoke private session

Learn about:

• How to create an inclusive online space using various platforms
• What to do before, during and after an online event to maximise accessibility
• Online etiquette for accessible sound and visual content
• Best tech solutions and ‘quick fixes’ for captioning, Auslan interpretation and audio description
• Informative case studies from artists and arts organisations across a range of art forms

 

PARTICIPATION

All sessions are delivered using the Zoom online conferencing platform (Zoom links are provided following booking)

About Zoom

• Zoom is an easy to use, reliable and FREE cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars across mobile devices, desktops and telephones.
• If you haven’t used Zoom before you can find out more here: https://zoom.us/
• After signing up for our workshop, you’ll receive an email from us inviting you to a Zoom meeting on the date of the workshop.
• On the day of the workshop, all you have to do is click on the relevant link in the invitation, follow the prompts and you’ll be part of the workshop.

 

ACCESS

Closed captioning and Auslan interpreting are available on request. You can request these services during the booking process. For other access requirements, please contact Liz Martin: [email protected]

 

WHY CHOOSE US

• Arts Specific: We’re experts in arts, culture and disability with over 33 years of experience in helping organisations improve their accessibility, so we understand the challenges and opportunities which arts organisations encounter.
• Disability Led: Our trainers have lived experience of disability which provides an authentic edge that makes a world of difference.
• Cost Effective: We understand the budget constraints under which many arts organisations operate, so we ensure our prices are the most competitive in the market.

 

WHO WE WORK WITH

Our workshops are suitable for:

• Artists
• Arts and cultural organisations
• Festivals and venues
• Not-for-profit and government agencies

Every year we train up 1000 people from big organisations and venues right through to local government teams and small independent operators. Our training clients include:

• Sydney Opera House | Art Gallery of NSW | Blacktown Arts Centre | Musica Viva
• Sydney Film Festival | Sydney Festival | Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences
• Museum of Contemporary Art | Biennale of Sydney | City of Sydney | Inner West Council | Georges River Council

Below are some testimonials from our general workshop participants:

• “The training was engaging and helped our company learn more ways to improve and expand accessibility, both within our team and with what our festival offers to the community.”
• “I love that the training is done by people with disability. The first-person perspective is invaluable.”
• “A fabulous session which has made being disability confident much more achievable! Thank you so much – really appreciate your expertise.”
• “Thank you for providing this session. I am determined now to make some important changes within my organisation.”
• “The training really opened our eyes to how we can improve in areas we didn’t even realise needed improving. Thank you!”
• “It was great to get a much better understanding of how to engage respectfully and appropriately with people with disability.”

 

FIND OUT MORE

If you have any questions or need help with making a booking, contact us at [email protected] or call on 02 9251 6499.

Together! 2020 Disability History Month Festival opening event.

About this Event

This year we begin by remembering the artists whom we have lost, with commemorative performances and tributes, and the presentation of ‘ofrendas’ created by their friends together with Yorkshire-based Carnival Arts organisation Callaloo Arts. The evening includes:

Act Up! Newham: Black Lives Matter

Jo-anne Cox: Sophie’s Song

Sign Dance Collective International: In Between Spaces (live performance)

Our online exhibitions also open — Ally Z’s The Starving Artist; Justin Edgar’s Reasonable Adjustment; and the Together! 2020 Open Exhibition of locally produced work.

Two presentations and a group discussions on the subject of accessibility through the lens of public art projects

About this Event

Who is public art, and public space, for? Who is included in the conversation and experience that public art creates? What does it mean to use the idea of “access” as a creative catalyst?

Please join us on Tuesday, November 10, from 1:30 - 3 PM EST for Accessibility, featuring two presentations and a group discussion on the subject of accessibility through the lens of public art projects. Accessibility is the fifth session of Becoming Public Art, a nine-week virtual summit presented by Markham Public Art in partnership with ART+PUBLIC UnLtd.

Featuring: Paul Amenta, artist and founder of SiTE:LAB; Christopher Smit and Jill Vyn, co-founders of DisArt; Maayan Ziv, CEO AccessNow; Devon Ostrom, curator, artist and advocate

Moderator: Kevin Buist, independent curator and writer

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Artist Paul Amenta, creator of SiTE:LAB, and producers and disability advocates Christopher Smit and Jill Vyn from DisArt (all based in Grand Rapids, MI), have been collaborating on award-winning public art projects since 2015’s DisArt Festival. Their work is driven by a commitment to reorganizing the understanding of accessibility, aesthetics, and community making. In this presentation, titled Access as Art, they will discuss their work, the communities they collaborate with, and their future projects.

In their presentation, Maayan Ziv and Devon Ostrom will talk about their experience mapping 100km of art and trails in Toronto, and their future ideas for improving access to the built environment and how it is shaped. Whereas Devon will touch on institutional constraints to greater access, Maayan will focus on the physical and digital realm, along with the benefits of making spaces more accessible to all users.

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Paul Amenta is a visual artist working across disciplines, including site-specific installation, architectural intervention, film and video, and large-scale collaborative public projects. Amenta is the founder of SiTE:LAB, and holds an MFA from The School of Visual Arts in New York and a BFA from Grand Valley State University.

SiTE:LAB is a nomadic all-volunteer artist-led initiative that creates temporary public art projects aimed at facilitating dynamic collaborations between the art, design, education, business, and cultural communities of Grand Rapids.

Christopher Smit and Jill Vyn together co-founded DisArt in 2015, an organization committed to advancing a cultural understanding of Disability. By taking disability out of the space of speculation, mystery, or fear, and placing it in an historical and aesthetic context, DisArt amplifies the voice, visibility, and value of the Disabled community. Through public speaking, publishing, cutting-edge programming, and organizational consulting, Christopher Smit, PhD (University of Iowa), and Jill Vyn, MSW (University of Michigan) have become respected voices throughout the world.

DisArt is a production company and arts and culture organization that focuses its energy on creating public art events that cultivate and communicate a Disabled culture. DisArt believes that expressions of a Disabled cultural identity can transform society from awareness to understanding to belonging, creating a society that enjoys the full and equitable participation of all Disabled people.

Maayan Ziv is an activist, photographer and entrepreneur based in Toronto. From a young age, Maayan challenged norms to increase awareness of disability issues and improve accessibility. Maayan founded and leads the social enterprise, AccessNow, and holds an MA in Digital Media from Ryerson University. She has received the City of Toronto Access Award and the David C. Onley Leadership in Accessibility Award in recognition of her commitment to improving the lives of people of all abilities.

AccessNow is a grassroots social start-up. Our mission is to share accessibility information around the world by mapping as many places as we possibly can—and we invite you to help us! A worldwide community, passionate about change, together we can empower each other to have access now.

Devon Ostrom is an artist and graduate of the London School of Economics. Works include a mural/research project in a maximum security prison and the co-creation of a billboard tax that has raised over $89m for art in Toronto. Along with an MPA (w. distinction in Regulatory Analysis) Devon holds an MA in Curating and is certified in HR and NPO Management. Currently, Devon teaches Cultural Policy and is a Park People Fellow.

Kevin Buist is an independent curator, writer and former Artistic Director of ArtPrize, where he oversaw artists, operations, and design. He holds a MA in Visual and Critical Studies from Kendall College of Art and Design. His writing has been featured in numerous print and online publications, including the Art:21 Blog, where he was a Blogger in Residence, as well as MNartists.org, Michigan Quarterly Review, and kevinbuist.com/blog.

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Becoming Public Art: Working Models and Case Studies for Art in Public is a nine-week virtual summit co-curated by Rebecca Carbin, Principal, ART+PUBLIC UnLtd, and Yan Wu, Public Art Curator, City of Markham. In a series of virtual sessions, professionals in the field will present the broad range of perspectives that shape public art making today.

For summit details and to subscribe for updates, please visit the summit website.

It will be held at The Causeway Chippenham, Wilts. At 10-12. £15 each, free for support staff. You will go home with you own piece of art..

Join SICK to celebrate the release of issue 1 with an evening of drinks, light bites, and a raffle. All money raised at this event will go directly towards paying chronically ill and disabled writers and artists for issue 2.

Drinks and snacks will be available as well as the opportunity to purchase our issue 01 zine and SICK pins. Raffle prizes include a stay at a lakeside cabin in Maine, bronze sculpture, limited edition art prints, and more.

This event is open to the public, and while a donation is suggested ($5-10), no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Ticket options are available to purchase in advance that include the zine, raffle tickets, and more. These options will also be available at the door, however only cash will be accepted. Raffle tickets will be for sale for $10 each.

If you are unable to make it but would still like to show your support, you can donate to us directly at www.sickmagazine.co.uk/support, or by donating through Eventbrite.

SICK is a thoughtful magazine written and created by chronically ill and disabled people, for all to enjoy. Our issue 01 zine, released in August 2019, offers a preview of our first full issue to be published in 2020. SICK is an international magazine primarily based in Norwich, England.

RSVP on Facebook!

www.sickmagazine.co.uk / [email protected]

This event is made possible by Poets House’s Literary Partners Program. Poets House is an ADA accessible facility. The nearest subway station, Chambers St, has an elevator on the NW corner of Hudson and Chambers Street.

Adaptive Art Classes for Teens and Adults with Disabilities

Wednesday, June 5th, 7-8:30 pm – “Worm” (String) Painting

Wednesday, June 19th, 7-8:30 pm – Tissue Paper “Windows”

Wednesday, July 3rd, 7-8:30 pm – Firework Printing (Shaving Cream Marbling)

Wednesday, July 17th, 7-8:30 pm – Beaded Lanyards

Wednesday, August 7th, 7-8:30 pm – Watercolor Painted Fans

Wednesday, August 21st, 7-8:30 pm – Tie-dye Bandanas

 

$5 per class

 

All classes will be held at ArtReach at 436 West 3rd Street, Red Wing, MN

Express your creative side through art while building skills that can help you convert negative energy into positive habits.

About this Event

Join us as we take an in depth, focused and introspective look at stress and finding relief. We will explore the causes of stress in our lives and the patterns of behaviour it promotes, while discovering new techniques to follow to combat stress.

These will be small, intimate group sessions designed specifically for Persons with Disabilities, through JobStart's Peer Employment Mentoring program.

The Peer Employment Mentoring program offers group and one-on-one mentoring support to job seekers with disabilities to help them reach their short and long term career goals. The focus is to raise awareness of available services, provide tips and tools and increase self-confidence. All clients with a disability can access the PEM program (including self-declared) and clients working with other service providers.

Services Available:

• One on one mentoring with a peer mentor
• Support with industry specific information, how and where to look for work
• Assistance to design an individualized employment action plan
• Group mentoring, interactive workshops and drop-in support group
• Referrals to individualized community resources based on client need
• Referral to Job Coach and Job Developer
• Life skills coaching

For more information or to schedule an intake appointment, please call Tasheca Robinson, Job Coach at (416)231-2295 ext. 4251 or email [email protected].

I was born to represent diversity

Artist Teresa Pocock uses her art and poetry to express her unique worldview and to assert her rights to inclusion. She challenges the systemic discrimination faced by people who are different — especially those who have intellectual disabilities.

Pocock’s new art exhibition, “Born to Represent”, is opening on Monday, July 22, 2019. The show is being presented by Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN) at 312 Main Street, in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

The exhibition features Pocock's music videos, self-talk poetry, and over twenty-five of her large-scale artworks.

“I was born with what was seen to be a disability,” raps Pocock. “But no, no, no. It’s just me... living in reality.”

Ms. Pocock has Down syndrome and is proud of her identity. For Pocock, art and self-advocacy are powerfully intertwined. Some of her artwork addresses the discrimination and adversity she has experienced because of her genetic and intellectual differences. “I love my human rights,” she says. “Don’t take them away just because I have Down syndrome.”

Since moving to BC in 2014, Pocock has established herself as a vital creative force. She has found her voice. “You have to realize, I am a self-advocate. You have to realize, I speak up.” And she has found her purpose and meaning, “I was born to represent diversity.”

“As an active, contributing citizen in Vancouver’s Gastown neighborhood, Teresa’s art taps into the often unspoken thoughts and pleasures of modern life,” says Rebecca Pauls, Director of PLAN. “For anyone looking for a bit of everyday joy, self-expression, and connection, this exhibit is not to be missed.”

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Teresa Pocock is an outsider artist, poet, musician and self-advocate with Down syndrome. She is the author of two books. “Totally Amazing: Free to Be Me” (2018). “Pretty Amazing: How I Found Myself in the Downtown Eastside” (2016). Please visit her website for more information.

ABOUT THE HOST AND ORGANIZERS:

Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN) is dedicated to building inclusive communities for all citizens. We are a non-profit organization founded in 1989 to help families secure the future for loved ones with disabilities. Working in collaboration, we build personal support networks, make plans to secure the future, and bring families together for mutual support, learning and community leadership. Visit PLAN.ca to read stories on how we help people with disabilities make lifelong connections and lead fulfilling lives.

The James Gang, Iconoclasts, Inc. is a creative agency founded by Franke James and Billiam James. They work with corporations, non-profit organizations, and government services, to create positive social change with a focus on environmental, health care, and social justice issues.

ThisAbility celebrates inclusion and recognition of the mediums of art by artists with disabilities. With Art being a universal language, ThisAbility emphasizes the belief that people with disabilities are contributing members in an increasingly global network of ideas and cultures.

 

The event will feature several artist performing live art whether through brush, photo lens, spoken word, or a source of flame. Throughout the exhibition, artwork created by these and other artists listed above will be featured in the event space for the public eye.

 

Admission: $20

Includes:

- Dinner

- Open Bar (Wine & Beer)

- Free Raffle Entry

 

***Additional Raffle Tickets will be sold at the event***

 

The show will act as a fundraiser sponsored by Level the Curve Inc., a company that helps ease the life of people with disabilities by creating tools that assist in improving independence in everyday life.

Hope Recovery Center of Newport Countyhad another great Art in the Park event on July 12th in conjunction with Newport Mental Health.  

Shut out: Lack of sign language at concerts frustrates deaf Canadians

The Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD) estimates the number of people who are "culturally deaf" — whose first native language is a signed language and who are part of the deaf community — is as high as 357,000. But when they want to go see their favourite artists perform, they can feel shut out.

In Canada, it's uncommon for venues to provide sign language services. But in the United States, sign language services at concerts and festivals is quite common. There, interpreters who specialize in music have found a following online as the videos of their enthusiastic interpretations go viral.