Mobility Model by mikayla

What are different ways art is seen? Examples?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-27 18:20:41 UTC

Through texture and feeling to produce a picture in your head. Art is not only flat on a canvas but in different mediums such as dance, music, or other visuals. Depending on your abilities, you can hear and make music, feel, or/and see dance, or find other creative ways to portray expression. Clark Reynolds is a great example of adjusting mediums to create. His ability to manipulate and sew textiles for everybody to touch, see, and experience is inspiring. Instead of art being seen by only eyes, the Cut YouTube video demonstrates that art can be felt and molded into clay by the hands of an artist that cannot see.

How has your opinion of looking at art changed?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-27 18:21:18 UTC

I’m happy to see that many artists with mobility differences have made their space in the world of art. It makes me question the galleries I’ve been to and wonder why I haven’t seen more of these projects that expand ideas of accessibility in art. It's also made clear that there's always room for improvement and inclusivity when it might not be apparent to us.

What is important about art? Should It only be enjoyed by some?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-27 18:21:57 UTC

Art is universal. It’s one of the things that anybody can make and enjoy. Art’s importance comes from the intention to share ideas, thoughts, and feelings that are unique to only human experience. Having it exclusive is contradictory to the artist’s will to publicly display their art. Art shouldn’t be subjective, it is fluid and malleable for interpretation and inspiration. Given it’s ability to change with time, it’s also important to recognize how to make art accessible for anybody to appreciate. To explore diversity, it’s important to expose yourself to ways that challenge tradition, which is what’s presented in most of these sources.

What inspiration can you think of after exploring this? How can we allow art to become more inclusive?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-27 18:22:47 UTC

Many of the sources gave wonderful examples of art being made and enjoyed in new ways. Normalizing workshops to handle and make art with varying mobilities in mind can help familiarize people with the different methods of creating. Having more art shows with pieces made with inclusivity in mind can introduce others to a new form of art. To explore diversity, it’s important to expose yourself to ways that challenge tradition, which is what’s presented in most of these sources. I really enjoyed seeing people feel art rather than seeing it. John Bramblitt’s eye-catching works and idea of differentiating colours through textures and thickness in paint shows how unstoppable creativity can be even when met with obstacles.

What are some questions you have always wanted to ask someone with one or more disabilities?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-28 18:00:43 UTC

It’s hard to think of questions when subconsciously, I block curiosity out of fear of seeming insensitive. At the top of my head, I wonder how amputees deal with phantom limbs. A man in one of the resource videos said that the pain is almost unbearable sometimes and I find it interesting how someone can feel pain in a part of their body that isn't there. It was a misconception that some people don't believe phantom limbs are real, which seems off-putting because if an amputated person tells you what they're going through, it wouldn't be right to doubt them.

Think of a time where you experienced any level of interaction with a person who had one or more disabilities. Describe what happened.

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-28 18:01:26 UTC

Since my dad is disabled (blind in one eye, muscle dystrophy in one leg and partially deaf in one ear), There was a time where I had to wheel him around in a wheelchair, which wasn’t complicated at all, I just had to be more careful when walking around with him. I adjust which side I sit beside him so he can hear me better. Currently, when he asks for help, I’m more than happy to cross the street or walk-up stairs with him holding my arm due to his one leg being weaker than the other. When we travel, it’s usual for us as a family to drive everywhere rather than walking and hiking like we used to. But these adjustments are anything but inconveniencing.

How many people in your life do you suspect might have one or more disabilities without you knowing? How could you tell?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-28 18:02:00 UTC

There may be many people around me with one or more disabilities. Whether it's an apparent by recognizing they have a physical difference such as an amputation, aid, etc., There are also disabilities that manifest inside such as a learning or mental disorders. The unique thing is I can't always tell, so it's best for me to tune in to what information they want to give me to fully tell whether they have a disability or not.

What does it mean to be “disabled”? Find a dictionary definition. Re-work it into your own personal definition of what it means to be a person that experiences disabilities.

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-28 18:02:30 UTC

The world health organization describes disabilities as: Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. I mostly agree with this broad statement.

What ideas have you discovered that you are considering putting into your mobility model?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-28 18:02:44 UTC

If I were to focus on a bathroom setting that was accessible to wheelchairs and visually impaired people, Having an open bath area with areas to sit would be great. It needs to be spacious also for a wheelchair. I've seen some examples of having handle bars around the toilet and showers when getting off a wheelchair. For visual impairments, I thought of the idea to have textures floor areas to differentiate parts of the bathroom you're in (sink, toilet, shower).

How might you relate to those who live with intellectual or are neurotypical?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-30 17:32:40 UTC

I’m not sure what living with intellectual means but to my knowledge so far, I am neurotypical. I have a privilege of having social, public and mental spaces be catered towards the way my brain works. Knowing this, I should open my mind to the many different ways others brains work, and take time to understand their needs and wants like mine have always been. Along with being neurotypical, it should never be my place to judge what a neurodivergent or person with a non-physical disability needs

What does it mean to build resiliency? How might you become more resilient?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-30 17:33:17 UTC

Building resiliency is improving how quick and efficient you can recover after difficult moments. You could become more resilient when exposed to a lot of hard times, because using that experience, it could be utilized for the next time something wrong or different happens. Additionally, preparing yourself mentally and maybe physically, can help soften your fall when your mood gets low or something unexpected happens.

How do you think people treat those with ratings such as ADHD, ASD, FASD, or LD? What could be changed?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-30 17:34:02 UTC

From what I've gathered from the perspectives in the given sources, Especially in the health care system, people with these ratings seem overseen and unheard. Because of general society assuming they're less capable or immature, their concerns aren't put into full consideration. In many cases, people don't even look in their direction out of shock or fear which is devastating given that they are more alike us than different . For neurotypical people with the upper hand to dismiss other humans simply based on a difference must feel isolating. We need to change our actions by accepting that everybody is different somehow but our differences don't change our needs and wants as human. If somebody needs more assistance, it's appropriate to give it to them when they ask, but jumping to conclusions and treating them as a child because of their divergence is wrong.

What learning adaptations have you discovered? How are they effective at helping learning happen?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-30 17:34:42 UTC

I’ve researched that neurodivergent people can focus better or become calmer when fidgeting with small gadgets. Some workplaces have made the adaptation of targeted hiring towards people of disability to create a new space with opportunities for the people that often get overlooked.

What Ideas has this given you for you mobility model?

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-30 17:35:03 UTC

In my group, were trying to create a children's library area accessible for neurodivergent and disabled youth. Since a common trait in divergent minds is becoming easily overstimulated by sounds, visuals or textures, we want to make this space appealing, but not overwhelming. We were also thinking of putting floor guides on the ground for the visually impaired also.

Art

mikaylawong232 — 2024-05-31 18:22:48 UTC

Trying not to have bright headache inducing colors but not having a sad beige area. calming and varying colours. Maybe having interactive art on display, such as some of art made by other sight impaired artists - ended up having interactive wall

play area

mikaylawong232 — 2024-06-04 17:20:29 UTC

games/ fidgets will be in a cupboard to the left of the room and on the right shelf near the couch.

braille uno, having fidgets to help focus and be calm, magnifiers for low vision to help with reading.

sitting cushions in different shapes on foam mat floor for gentle play

general design

mikaylawong232 — 2024-06-04 17:34:09 UTC

genres and labels in the library should come with braille alternative. the ground will have tactile bumps to indicate the general areas of the library. Maybe striped/line shaped bumps could direct people towards bookshelves where dotted terrain flows as a path through the other parts of the room.

Having many of the shelf and table corners could be safer for smaller children in case of accidents.

floor and wall textures for sensory especially in the play area. different sensory art to play with on the wall along with quieter fidgets or games. floor imaging toward the quiet area for calming down in an interactive way.

larger text with braille for genres. calming down hopscotch.

materials

mikaylawong232 — 2024-06-04 17:43:40 UTC

hot glue for tactile bumps

felt for carpeted area and wall texture.

Most of the supplies were paint and coloured paper.