"I'm Me": Peer and Creative Research with Learning Disabled and Autistic Artists into Identity, Representation and Voice

“我就是我”：学习障碍和自闭症艺术家对身份、表征和声音的同行和创造性研究

• 批准号: AH/X003760/1
• 负责人: Matthew Reason
• 金额: $ 48.3万
• 依托单位: York St John University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FX003760%2F1
• 关键词: Me; Peer; Creative; Research; Learning

I'm Me will work with learning disabled and autistic artists as peer and creative researchers to explore questions of identity, representation and voice. Learning disabled and autistic people are amongst the most marginalised and voice-less within our society. They are often perceived as vulnerable and requiring protection or care, while rarely having a prominent voice within public discourses, even with issues that directly relate to disability. The disability arts are a rare forum where these relationships are challenged, with learning disabled and autistic artists utilising their creativity to assert their agency and identity.I'm Me will be conducted in collaboration with Mind the Gap (MTG) and in partnership with a network of six disability arts companies. Through this network, learning disabled and autistic artists will act as peer and creative researchers, alongside two learning disabled Peer Research Associates. Together we will explore, critique, subvert and reconstitute questions of learning disability identity, representation and voice. We will work through a reflexive methodology based on the 'Creative Doodle Book', a resource that uses open and playful tasks to encourage reflective self-expression. This approach was tested between 2019-21 when the Doodle Book was used extensively with learning disability groups across the UK, developing a resource that enables the exploration of challenging and complex issues, such as identity, in an inclusive manner. Through this approach the perceptions, insights and creative understandings of the peer researchers will be at the heart of both the process and the outcomes.The project has three distinct phases. Phase 1 will create a revised version of the Doodle Book in collaboration with MTG and the Peer Research Network. Alongside this we will work with access champions Totally Inclusive People to co-create a series of three 12-week peer research cycles. Facilitators and artists from each of the partner companies will be trained in the delivery of these resources. Phase 2 will deliver these peer research cycles at each of the partner companies. This process will elicit understandings of how learning disabled and autistic adults view questions of identity and representation, and from this work towards greater understandings of self-advocacy, agency and voice. Through open tasks that elicit multiple ways of expression, the process will develop creative forms of insider testimonies that will include written, spoken, visual and other non-verbal materials. Phase 3 will focus on the production of creative outputs by learning disabled and autistic artists that draw upon the testimonies and insights from across the whole Peer Research Network. The partner companies and the participating artists will be supported by creative producers from MTG to develop their reflective insights into public facing art works and documentations. A learning disability led team will utilise these to construct a book and curate a two-day I'm Me Festival, each designed to communicate the insights and lived experiences from the project. It is anticipated that these will include art works, spoken word, personal narrative, documentary film and live performance. Crucial to this stage will be the involvement of learning disabled and autistic artists in editorial, authorial and curatorial processes and decision making. The outcomes of the project will include: 1) A new model for peer research with learning disabled and autistic participants. 2) Greater understanding of how identity, representation and voice are understood by learning disabled and autistic adults. 3) Impactful, outward-facing materials that shift public perceptions, provide resources for support agencies in training and education, and evidence the value of engaging learning disabled and autistic voices in research, public discourse and policy.

“我是我”将与学习障碍和自闭症艺术家作为同行和创意研究人员合作，探索身份、表征和声音的问题。学习障碍和自闭症患者是我们社会中最边缘化和最无发言权的人群。他们通常被认为是弱势群体，需要保护或照顾，但在公共话语中很少有突出的声音，即使是在与残疾直接相关的问题上。残疾艺术是一个罕见的论坛，这些关系受到挑战，学习障碍和自闭症艺术家利用他们的创造力来维护他们的代理和身份。“我是我”将与 Mind the Gap (MTG) 合作，并与由六家残疾人艺术公司组成的网络。通过这个网络，学习障碍和自闭症艺术家将与两名学习障碍同伴研究助理一起充当同伴和创意研究人员。我们将共同探索、批判、颠覆和重构学习障碍的身份、表征和声音问题。我们将采用基于“创意涂鸦书”的反思方法，该资源使用开放且有趣的任务来鼓励反思性的自我表达。这种方法在 2019-21 年间进行了测试，当时 Doodle Book 在英国各地的学习障碍群体中广泛使用，开发了一种资源，能够以包容的方式探索具有挑战性和复杂的问题，例如身份。通过这种方法，同行研究人员的看法、见解和创造性理解将成为过程和结果的核心。该项目分为三个不同的阶段。第一阶段将与 MTG 和同行研究网络合作创建 Doodle Book 的修订版本。除此之外，我们将与“Totally Inclusive People”倡导者合作，共同创建一系列三个为期 12 周的同行研究周期。每个合作伙伴公司的协调员和艺术家都将接受有关提供这些资源的培训。第二阶段将在每个合作伙伴公司提供这些同行研究周期。这一过程将引发人们对学习障碍和自闭症成年人如何看待身份和代表问题的理解，并从这项工作中加深对自我倡导、代理和声音的理解。通过引发多种表达方式的开放任务，该过程将开发内部证词的创造性形式，包括书面、口头、视觉和其他非语言材料。第三阶段将重点关注学习残疾和自闭症艺术家的创意成果，这些艺术家利用整个同行研究网络的证词和见解。合作伙伴公司和参与艺术家将得到 MTG 创意制作人的支持，以发展他们对面向公众的艺术作品和文献的反思性见解。学习障碍领导的团队将利用这些内容来编写一本书并策划为期两天的“我就是我”节，每个节日都旨在传达该项目的见解和生活经验。预计这些内容将包括艺术作品、口语、个人叙述、纪录片和现场表演。这一阶段的关键是学习障碍和自闭症艺术家参与编辑、创作和策展过程以及决策。该项目的成果将包括： 1）针对学习障碍和自闭症参与者的同行研究新模式。 2) 更好地了解学习障碍和自闭症成年人如何理解身份、表征和声音。 3) 有影响力的、面向外的材料，可以改变公众的看法，为培训和教育支持机构提供资源，并证明让学习障碍和自闭症患者参与研究、公共话语和政策的价值。