Accessible Art

Accessible art logo - a stretched blob on an easel

Accessible Art

Art can be inclusive of the diversity of human ability in many different ways. Some artists seek to make their work accessible to audience members with disabilities by creating art that crosses sensory modalities, so that the same work can be felt or heard or seen. Other artists use their art to express emotions or convey statements about ability and disability.

The personal and expressive nature of art can make it a challenge to determine whether a piece of artwork is accessible or not. Contest entries will be assessed instead according to their creativity, demonstrated artistic skill, whether the artist's intent was likely fulfilled and the effectiveness of the video at explaining the entry, including the author's intent.

The original Stretch web collection includes works by students and professional artists.

"Art Beyond Sight" includes some useful examples.

Project Ideas:

  • An art video with captions and audio descriptions
  • Tactile sculpture
  • Accessible interactive art exhibit
  • Collage of historical assistive devices

Sample Lesson Plans 1: Accessible Art Category

How inclusive is our surroundings?

Overview

Students will work in groups/ individually to research the meaning of the word “inclusive” and research any one or more area of their choice that surrounds them, (home/ school/ playground/ community centre etc.) in terms of history, geography, infrastructure, topography and physical features and more. This group or individual will use any material that they readily find in their environment to represent their investigation and findings in an informative and artistic way making it accessible for all to experience. The art piece should appeal the hearing, visual and tactile senses of the audience.

Age Group

  • Secondary- grades 9 to 12 or below 24 years

Lesson time to complete:

  • Approximately an hour each for two sessions

Learning Skills Addressed:

  • Critical Thinking and Reasoning: Student(s) will ask questions; research the internet, library, local information centre if any. Would understand how the environment could be disability friendly or contributing to make people more disabled.
  • Information Literacy- Research conducted by student (S) will help to increase skills to filter information needed and those not needed for the topic, observe and comprehend.
  • Invention- Student(s) would develop skills to think critically, invent and discover to create their art piece from resources in the environment.

Rationale

Student will receive hands on experience; they are left on their own to investigate and thus, would be able to experience on their own the environment and how inclusive is it or is it not? It will also help student with innovative ways to make the physical environment more inclusive to all.

Process:

Student (s) will work with sketchbooks to formulate ideas, take pictures of the environment, record sound, and collect material to be used for the tactile effect in their work. Once that is done student can then put all the pieces together to form a blue print of the work. Student (s) will then discuss with teacher before going ahead with the final work.

Materials

AV equipment, camera, sketchbook, local maps, access to the internet, presentation materials and technology as needed.

Important note:
Student (s) can use the same play to create a presentation in the form of a video for the “Accessible Art Category”- with Audio video description and captions.

Sample Lesson Plans 2: Accessible Art Category

How accessible/ inaccessible are public buildings?

Overview

Students will learn how a public building (chosen by the student) reflects the ideas of the architect and compare this to how inaccessible or accessible it is. Students will look at the building chosen, investigated facts about the building, read about the history, and interview staff or people who are in the building on a regular basis. Student (s) will briefly, interview people about their experience regarding the architecture of the building with accessibility and inaccessibility points in mind to better understand the similarities and differences in the architect’s and the public’s points of view. The art piece should appeal the hearing, visual and tactile senses of the audience.

Age Group

  • Secondary- grades 9 to 12 or below 24 years

Lesson time to complete:

  • Approximately an hour each for two sessions

Learning Skills Addressed:

  • Critical Thinking and Reasoning: Student(s) will ask questions; research the internet, library, local information centre and research background information of the building. Student (s) would understand how the architecture can make a building “open to all” or have only selected people with certain physical attributes visit or enter it.
  • Information Literacy- Research and interviews conducted by student (s) will help to increase skills to filter information needed and those not needed for the topic, observe and comprehend.
  • Invention- Student(s) would develop skills to think critically, invent and discover to create their art piece from the information they gather from their research.

Rationale

Student will receive hands-on experience; they are left independent to conduct their own investigation and interviews, survey and thus, would be able to experience on their own, how little changes can make big difference for all. Popularly known as the “curb cut advantage” By learning how architectural design is conceived by an architect and comparing this to how it is perceived by the public, students learn to analyze varied points of view.

Process:

Student (s) will work with sketchbooks to formulate ideas, take pictures of the environment, record sound, and collect material to be used for the tactile effect in their work. Once that is done student can then put all the pieces together to form a blue print of the work. Student (s) will then discuss with teacher before going ahead with the final work.

Materials

AV equipment, camera, sketchbook, local maps, access to the internet, presentation materials and technology as needed, access to a group of people who can be surveyed (this can be family members that students talk to at home or teachers)

Important note:
Student (s) can use the same play to create a presentation in the form of a video for the “Accessible Art Category”- with Audio video description and captions.

Links

Note: All links are to external sites. OCAD University is not responsible for their content or maintenance.