“You talk about making it as a writer by yourself you have to be able then to turn off all the antenna of which you live because once you turn your back on this society you may die you may die. You may die. And it’s very hard to sit at a typewriter and concentrate on that if you’re afraid of the world around you.” ~ James Baldwin
In this moment, James Baldwin gives lived experience to the New Radical Model political identity of the Social Model of Disability that argues that we should not, and in the case of Baldwin, cannot distinguish between impairment and disability.
Disability: a quesion of provision
Looking at the UAL Disability & Dyslexia pages, I was struck by both the density of information and a conventional layout that makes it challenging to process the myriad options available to a student dealing with dyslexia. Information exists in long-list form, without spacing or cues that might work to aid students dealing with dyslexia and comprehension issues, or students tackling ADHD and attention deficit disorders.
For these reasons, ”Disability and dyslexia: what to expect” is definitely, not what I would expect of an institution with a clear diversity mandate.
The art of Listening
My role is to consider student relationships to learning spaces—whether they be in-person or online. The structural impediments that exist when finding one’s voice online; the personal politics of visibility and the vulnerability that may stem from that, paying close attention to the voices that are not only heard but seen as part of their shared learning experience.
Christine Sun Kim (pictured above) is a deaf sound artist whose hearing impairment becomes a disability in the context of city living, where sound is both a sensory experience and a navigation tool.
In ‘10min’, CK speaks to the perceived ownership of sound amongst those suffering from the absence of hearing loss, giving way to a wider conversation about the ownership of space and spaces.
Given the conventions for ‘proper sound’, Christine refers to people who would tell her “to be quiet; don’t burp; don’t drag your feet; don’t make loud noises,” limiting, with perceived and ultimately misplaced authority, the right to determine the nature of space—whether it be sensory, cultural—given a concept of formal and informal etiquette that dictates how sound works in a social context.
“While growing up, I constantly questioned the ownership of sound. People who have access to sound naturally own it and have a say in it.“
Finding other ways to experience unfamiliar environments has required that I remain alert to student coping mechanisms used in what may be an uncomfortable learning environment. Integrating this research/work into my teaching—with students establishing their approach to professional working practice—proves a continuous challenge, as conversations regarding visibility and representation within the workplace have been received with a level of discomfort by students not yet ready/able to give full amplification to their voice in what I routinely clarify (and hopefully exhibit) as being a safe space for work and exercise their opinion.
“It’s all about expression.” ~ Rose Windross, Soul II Soul
One successful example of this safe space creation is my ‘First of the Month session, run for my DPS CCW students. Part learning space, part social club, these sessions work as a connection point between students who in many cases have never met before, due to different courses / timetables and what with me working across Chelsea and Camberwell, university sites.
—
1. Cavett, D. (2020). James Baldwin and Paul Weiss Debate Discrimination In America | The Dick Cavett Show. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzH5IDnLaBA [Accessed 13 Sep. 2020].
2. Anon, (). Understanding Disability: Part 5 – The Social Model | Drake Music. [online] Available at: https://www.drakemusic.org/blog/nim-ralph/understanding-disability-part-5-the-social-model/.
3. 27061696 (n.d.). Disabled People: The Voice of Many. [online] Issuu. Available at: https://issuu.com/shadesofnoir/docs/disabled_people.
4. Sun Kim, C (2011). Christine Sun Kim – 10min. [online] Vimeo. Available at: https://vimeo.com/31083172.
5. Romeo, B. Windross, R. (1989). Soul II Soul – Fairplay (Official Video). www.youtube.com. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaZtVZuqNcI