As I reflect on the lived experiences shared across four short films featuring disabled individuals, I return again to Kimberlé Crenshaw’s Theory of Intersectionality. Crenshaw (1989) reminds us that people do not experience the world through single categories like “disabled” or “Black” or “queer.” Instead, these identities intersect—creating unique forms of marginalisation that are often overlooked when systems try to address each identity in isolation.
This theoretical lens becomes vividly real in the UAL Disability Service film, which introduces the social model of disability:
“We are not disabled by our individual differences. We are disabled by barriers in the world around us.”
(UAL Disability Service, 2020)
While this model rightly shifts focus from the individual to society, Crenshaw’s framework challenges us to go further. Whose barriers are being removed? Who do our “inclusive” spaces truly serve? It prompts a deeper interrogation of how identity layers—like class, race, and gender—combine to affect access and belonging.
Layered Systems, Invisible Barriers
Paralympian Ade Adepitan offers a compelling explanation of how systemic racism compounds the exclusion of disabled people of colour. Crenshaw would call this intersectional erasure—when overlapping identities render people invisible to systems designed with only one axis of identity in mind (Adepitan, 2020).
Similarly, Christine Sun Kim, a Deaf Asian-American artist, uses her practice to challenge sound-based norms. Her critique is not just about deafness—it’s about navigating an ableist, racialised art world. Crenshaw’s idea of simultaneity captures this: a person’s identities don’t stack; they merge into distinct experiences (Kim, 2023).
Compartmentalization vs. Wholeness
Chay Brown, speaking as a trans, queer, and disabled person, describes the bureaucratic and emotional burden of constantly justifying their identity in systems that treat each part separately. Crenshaw argues this single-axis thinking perpetuates exclusion—even in institutions claiming to be inclusive (Brown, 2023).
Reflecting on Practice
During my time as a specialist technician in Sculpture & Computational Arts at UAL, I’ve observed a gap between our institution’s progressive values and the actual support available for students with diverse needs. While the disability service works diligently to identify students’ requirements, the implementation of accommodations often falls short.
Accessibility extends beyond physical adjustments. It involves recognizing how intersecting identities affect participation. Many students face challenges not just from disability alone, but from how their approaches to learning don’t align with able-bodied expectations. This becomes more complex when considering language differences, learning styles, and socioeconomic factors.
Our current unit structure, with its emphasis on deadlines and output, inadvertently favors certain ways of working. It prioritizes quick production, technical proficiency, and independent progress—qualities that may be less accessible to some students.
A 2023 UAL report (Careers and Employability at University of the Arts London, 2023) noted that 15.3% of students have declared disabilities, with many being dyslexic or neurodivergent. This significant proportion deserves thoughtful consideration in how we structure learning environments.
For UAL to fully embody its inclusive values, we might consider developing more flexible assessment methods and reimagining support systems that address the multifaceted nature of accessibility.
References
Adepitan, A. (2020) Ade Adepitan gives amazing explanation of systemic racism. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAsxndpgagU&t=3s [Accessed 22 Apr. 2025].
Brown, C. (2023) Intersectionality in Focus: Empowering Voices during UK Disability History Month 2023. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yID8_s5tjc&t=2s [Accessed 22 Apr. 2025].
Careers and Employability at University of the Arts London (2023) Evidence – inquiry into employment and career support for young disabled people leaving education and entering the job market and workplace. Careers and Employability YDP0017. London: University of the Arts London. Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/124755/pdf/ [Accessed: 22 April 2025]
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: a Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, [online] 1989(1), pp.139–167. Available at: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=uclf.
Kim, C.S. (2023) Christine Sun Kim in “Friends & Strangers” – Season 11 | Art21. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpRaEDlLsI [Accessed 22 Apr. 2025].
University of the Arts London (2020). The Social Model of Disability at UAL. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNdnjmcrzgw [Accessed 22 Apr. 2025].
2 replies on “Shaping Inclusive Spaces: Disability, Identity and Creative Practice”
It’s great to see such a clear recognition of how the current unit structure can unintentionally exclude students. I really appreciated your point about accessibility going beyond physical adjustments, especially in terms of learning styles and intersecting identities. I’d be interested to hear more about any specific needs or barriers you’ve observed among your current students. Particularly where things still feel inaccessible or where small changes could make a big difference – perhaps a conversation for our next workshop?
You raise such an important point about accommodations not being accessible—I hadn’t spontaneously considered this aspect of space when thinking about accessibility at university. But of course, it’s part of a much broader system. Even if we were to create the most inclusive environment within the university itself, it becomes meaningless if students can’t physically get there due to inaccessible transport or unsuitable accommodations.
Thinking about accessibility as a systemic issue helps us begin to glimpse the realities of daily life for people with disabilities. And even that phrasing is problematic—framing “disability” as a generic term risks flattening very different lived experiences. As you point out in your mention of the “multifaceted nature of accessibility,” the needs of someone with dyslexia are not the same as those of someone who uses a wheelchair, and we need to keep that complexity in mind.