Reimagining Disability: Expressive Arts Therapy as an Empowerment Tool

A quarter of the U.S. adult population is disabled. Current expressive therapies’ approaches are rooted in a medical-interventionist model of disability over a social model of disability. In utilizing the connection between disability arts and creative arts therapies, this capstone thesis explores the tools found within the field – such as photovoice – to examine the impact of hierarchy in therapeutic spaces. Mental health practices are also often rooted in individualistic models of self-care, over community care. Through examining the practices of disabled art, music, and drama therapists, this literature review seeks to imagine new therapeutic spaces and realities for disabled clients. By utilizing liberation psychology and crip theory, disabled clinicians and clients alike, might rebuild expressive arts’ therapeutic practice to adapt to the imminent needs of multiple marginalized populations. Creative arts therapists must realign themselves as professionals allied to community over professionals allied to medicine. Without attending to these needs, creative arts therapists may continue to unintentionally perpetuate harm against clients as disabled clients are required to adjust to an ableist world. The Expressive Therapies can be re-shaped as a tool for empowerment

Accommodating Inclusive Education in LIS research: In the case of VICLIS conferences

As an important part of education, the library should accommodate Inclusive Education to ensure quality and equity. This paper examines ten (10) research abstracts and presentations presented at the Virtual International Conference on Library and Information Science (VICLIS) initiated by the SLTC Research University Sri Lanka, under the subtheme "Library Services for People with Special Needs" to explore the tendency of Library & Information science researchers to adapting the inclusive education in libraries. The sample included 25 papers submitted by LIS researchers from 08 countries to VICLIS conferences and after a review process, 10 papers selected from India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Findings indicated that themes such as accessibility to books, improving reading and writing skills in visually impaired students, challenges faced by differently-abled users, the role of libraries in supporting students with disabilities, repackaging of information individual needs, and availability of assistive technology devices in university libraries were dominant in LIS research. Findings imply that a new theme “Inclusive Library Service” should be incorporated into the library service. LIS researchers have recommended providing Braille books, addressing access to information issues, promoting accessibility in library buildings, implementing the Marrakesh Treaty to support visually impaired students, improving staff awareness and training, and collaborating with relevant organizations. Libraries can play a vital role in empowering users with special needs. Future LIS research should concentrate on assistive technologies, information literacy for differently-abled people, collection development, and professional development needs in libraries to enhance inclusive education