Week 13 - Disability Justice Art

Park McArthur

Ramps

January 12 - February 23, 2014

"Wanna Be with You Everywhere (And I Am): Disability Justice – Art as Freedom Portal" Chapter 9 talks about disability justice and art. It discusses how art can be a tool for empowerment and change for disabled people. The chapter starts out by discussing disability justice and the fact that it goes beyond medical ways. It is a shift in focus from trying to fix disabled people to changing the system around us to work better for those people. We should not be living in a world where there are barriers that prevent disabled people from living their daily lives. Disability justice is about intersectionality and the connections it has to race, gender and class. If you are not disabled and white, you might face even more oppression. In the reading, art is explained as a tool to serve as a "freedom portal" where disabled people can express their experiences. It can give a voice to groups of people that may be missing in the media. Art is a great form of self expression and can help disabled people feel a sense of identity and power over their futures. Ableism is a term that is brought up throughout the chapter and it is referring to prejudice against disabled people mostly in certain societies. Art can disrupt ableism by challenging stereotypes and presenting disabled artists stories and diversity. Performance and visual arts normally do the best in showing these things. Disabilities are often looked at as a negative thing, but art can flip the perspective and show that they are not always limitations, but can be a source of creativity. That being said, accessibility in the art world is very important. Wheelchair ramps and sensory access are just a couple of things that museums could be doing to make sure all guests can navigate the art properly. The chapter argues that art spaces and events should be seen as critical and instead of accommodating the disability, the art world should evolve to a point of embracing individuals' disabilities.

Disabled artists face a lot of challenges. The main challenge being physical accessibility. There is a lack of wheelchair-accessible entrances and other accommodations that make it hard for disabled artists to navigate museums or simply enter the buildings. Disabled artists are often underrepresented and excluded from exhibitions or galleries. Their work is also very easily stereotyped. Ableism in the art world often makes disabled artists' work be viewed as an "inspiration" instead of genuine art. There is also a massive lack of support for accommodations that disabled artists need to complete their creative process. Opportunities for disabled artists are limited, but still present. Changing narratives around disabilities is a very positive thing that disabled artists have the opportunity to explore. They can also build communities and network for mutual support as well as collaboration opportunities. The art world can become less ableist through representation and increased accessibility.

Artists can make their work more accessible to disabled individuals by making sure galleries are physically accessible to disabled people such as having ramps, seating, and audio descriptions. Art teachers can provide adaptive tools to make classes more accessible. These tools could include special brushes and larger prints. They could also offer different teaching methods such as visual or auditory options. Teachers can also make their classrooms inclusive by using different instructions and making it clear that they value all of their students. Art historians can incorporate disabled artists in their curriculum and make sure that their learning materials are accessible to all. Promoting representation and providing tools are very important when it comes to disabilities in a classroom setting and they can lead to a more inclusive art world in general.