Category: Learning Disabilities

We Love It When The Children Take Over!

3/16/2019

We recently did a project with LET US PLAY at Green Park School, Wolverhampton
Let Us Play organise events for children with disabilities and we devised a Jungle Book Music/Art and Storytelling workshop.

We practised performing the story with animal masks and musical instruments we’d created from scratch and the final performance would be in front of parents and carers.

We were blown away when one boy decided to stage manage the performance, suggesting we took to the stage (why hadn’t WE thought of that?) and telling the actors to hide behind the screen until their turn came up in the story. This is one of the key aims of RAW – that the people we work with take ownership of the work. It was a fantastic performance, all the better for the young man’s suggestions.

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The Big Link Up Art Project: Part One "Getting To Know You"

7/27/2018

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We are currently delivering this exciting and immersive art project for Support Plus, across 2 of their centres in Wolverhampton. It will involve joining together pieces of artwork physically and people and communities metaphorically.

Big Link Up Art Project with disabled adults

Project branding

Support Plus are a day service for adults with a profound and multiple learning disabilities who require high support needs we also support people with physical disabilities to maintain and develop their quality of life. They provide a wide range of day opportunities whilst supporting people to access their local and wider community and The Big Link Up Art Project is one of those opportunities.

Alex Vann artist and designer founder RAW

An excited Alex launching the project

Gary O'Dowd artist on Real Arts Workshops

Gary helping create wonderful artwork

What is vital to us was that despite of some very profound needs the adults are engaged in decision making and actively making their own marks.

adults with disabilities making choices in artwork

Enabling people to make choices

We are constantly evolving the project to suit the needs of our clients, investigating various strategies to enable engagement (and enjoyment, if it’s not fun what’s the point?) As one of our team is profoundly Deaf we are integrating sign language lessons into the sessions. This has benefits in terms of another new skill learnt, active engagement and breaking down communication barriers.

It is early days with the project but already both centres have their own DREAM TREE’s – which act as the project aims and objectives. We’ve found out about each individual – what colours they like, what they like to eat, where they like to go and who is important to them. Each has indicated to us what size canvas they will be painting on, what colour the background should be and an idea of what they will be painting or making (some are going to be 3D or textural pieces rather than 2D paintings).

Artwork people with disabilities Wolverhampton

The Dream Tree at Centre 1

The Dream Tree at Centre 2

We are exploring apps which make digital art-making accessible to people with profound disabilities. The examples here are making a vocal sound that produces a unique soundwave and touch screen pattern making apps that respond to an individual’s touch.

strategies for doing art with disabled adults

Unique soundwave 1

working with apps to create art with disabled adults

Using image creating apps that respond to touch

Unique soundwave 2

using apps to create art with disabled adults

Another example of image creating apps

music as background to disabled arts session

"Getting To Know You" from "The King and I", nice background music!

Gary leading the BSL lesson

This project is a perfect example of how RAW approaches its work. We are customer centred, so although we go in with an overarching aim, it is the participants who steer the project. We are versatile and flexible enough to be able to adjust our delivery to ensure the best possible outcomes.
We are really excited to see how the project progresses and will post again in September when we are back onto it.

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We Love It When The Children Take Over!

The Big Link Up Art Project: Part One "Getting To Know You"

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