Reflexive strategies developed during part-time fieldwork in an English school for the blind, Worcester, 2000-2001

In 1999, I planned a part-time PhD study to examine the effects of early art education on cultural development in English schools for the blind. This study formed part of a larger grounded theory on the understanding and creation of what are thought to be the visual arts by blind adults and children. The main fieldwork for this study was conducted at RNIB New College, Worcester, and included participant observations, interviews, and participant diaries. This case examines strategies involved in developing fieldwork as a full-time teacher in a different school, and focuses on the issues involved in collecting the participant diaries. The case also examines the development, creation, and maintenance of relationships within fieldwork, and strategies of reflexive work patterns. In particular, the case examines the nature of the Intimate Journal and the use of Informers to develop part of a grounded theory

Inclusive capital and human value

Human value seemed to be an effective way of understanding our personal knowledge, activity, and skills, and how these elements shape our personality, memory, and character traits. The observation that human skills and knowledge had value was first understood in the eighteenth century, and became a driving force of the Enlightenment and the British industrial revolution. Karl Marx argued that a consequence of the industrial revolution was that it changed the nature of human labor value psychologically. Pierre Bourdieu’s idea of social and cultural capital values were not just useful to the sociologists and social philosophers that subsequently used it to discuss social divisions by like groups. French people do not need to be resident in their homeland to be members of their imagined institution, members of other nationalities often live easily in France. Cultural institutions can be state of mind or theoretical space, with a physical though not geographical “center” or “centers,” and cultural objects scattered throughout other spaces

Participatory Co-Design, Grounded Methodology and the Development of Post-Inclusion

The presentation discusses two post-inclusive arts projects. These projects use participatory co-design to create artworks and technology, and grounded methodology as a means of developing learning and evaluation. The first project is a community education project on flooding in Bath, UK, and features co-created interactive installations, music and sculptures. The second project is a community design project, which features the development of co-designed breakdance choreography, performance and a multi-sensory dance beat technology in Yorkshire, UK

An autoethnography of a hearing-impaired researcher in museum-based participatory research

This presentation is an auto-ethnographic reflection of my participation as a hearing-impaired researcher and co-participant in a study of learners with sensory and intellectual access needs in six European museums. The fieldwork for this project is based in Spain, Austria and the UK, and the museums involved include the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Madrid) and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna). The methodology used for the broader study is participatory research, which is a form of emancipatory and inclusive research methodology. Data collection methods include feedback from monthly and bi-monthly meetings, interviews with participants, participant focus groups, photographs of practice by the participants and of participants’ practice, art making activities and participant diaries. The presentation aims to discuss the following questions in relation to my experiences of fieldwork in Madrid and London: 1. What challenges have I faced as a hearing-impaired researcher and co-participant in in the course of this fieldwork? 2. How can museums engage researchers who have impairments and access needs in participatory studies and practice? Issues to be discussed during the presentation are: power issues and tensions between myself and different groups of participants or individual participants; issues of communication between myself and participants with different communication needs; and cultural differences when conducting participatory research in different countries

Utilising mobile technologies for students with disabilities

This paper proposes a model of inclusive technical capital, and its use in the evaluation of technology and education designed to include students with disabilities. This paper also examines the role of mainstream mobile technologies and m-learning in the inclusion of students with disabilities. A recent research project on the inclusivity of native settings and apps on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android mobile operating systems is reviewed, and a model of evaluation is proposed as a starting point for future evaluations. The paper concludes that mobile technology has advantages over traditional assistive technologies as a tool of inclusive technical capital. However, more needs to be done to develop tablets and smartphones’ native settings and apps to include students with disabilities. It is also found that mobile devices as a whole need to become cheaper in order to make them more socially inclusive

Supporting Neurodiversity and Students with Sensory and Communication Impairments Using Mainstream Mobile Technologies

This presentation outlines our current understanding of mobile technologies and their use in the support of neurodiversity and students with sensory and communication impairments. This cafe will also discuss a project that developed college wide support for students at the London School of Economics (LSE) using online and , and summarises protocols, possible apps and the management of technologies to provide support. The presentation is relevant to the event themes as it addresses issues of social justice for students with disabilities and special needs in higher education, it addresses the OEB audience as it shows management strategies for supporting students with disabilities through the use of mainstream mobile technologies, and it addresses the purpose of OEB, as it shows how mainstream mobile technologies support people with disabilities. This presentation outlines the challenge of supporting higher education students in mainstream classes, where they study alongside their peers using mainstream technologies. The key take-aways are that neurodiversity and sensory and communication impairments are often overlooked in higher education or people are afraid of addressing issues related to these issues. However, good management strategies using mainstream technologies can often address many of these fears and the hurdles presented during teaching and learning. This presentation will stimulate thinking and prompt discussion and debate by developing informal workshop-style activities and discussion as well as critically examining the LSE project. This proves an innovative approach as traditional support has focussed on traditional assistive technologies and providing prescribed support for students, with little management of this support having been considered

Blind Visitor Experiences at Art Museums, 2:Key note presentation

As part of the legacy for the Sensing Culture project, Simon Hayhoe worked with us to launch the 'Community of Practice' for Sensing Culture. It will encourage the heritage sector, academics and blind and partially sighted people to work together to further continue, develop, and widen the impact of the project. Simon’s highly reputed work has broken down assumptions that people who are blind or partially sighted cannot understand the visual arts. In his keynote, he will explain why visual arts experiences shouldn't be limited to people with full sight. He will reveal what blind and partially sighted people are able to experience with visual art, and the effects of vision loss or no vision on a cultural identity in art