Through a Q&A and art activity, we will explore the topic of accessibility and inclusivity in academia, the arts, and the community. With a disability studies focus, we will hear from researchers, artists, and community members as we discuss moving through and experiencing the spaces we encounter everyday — from classrooms, to museums, to tourist attractions. We will think about both physical accessibility as well as sensory inclusion. During the workshop get to engage with art in less familiar ways, drawing on senses and perspectives that open up alternate modes of experience.
Talk + Q&A with Alice Schippers
How is knowledge valued and who is excluded in the process? In her research, Associate Professor of Disability Studies Alice Schippers focuses on epistemic justice: recognising and valuing different forms of knowledge, inside and outside academia. In academic contexts, rational and linguistic knowledge are often prioritised, while embodied, intuitive and sensory knowledge are ignored. This leads to the exclusion of people with ‘minority minds’, such as students and teachers with disabilities. Even when they are included in diversity and inclusion programmes, for example, it is often on the terms of academia. As the saying goes: they are at the table, but still on the menu.
Workshop: Color and Image Appreciation by Touch
After a short break, you can discover the world of art and color in a way you’ve never experienced before! Join a workshop by a passionate creator of the Taktila method—a tactile color system developed through working with blind individuals. This session offers a unique opportunity to reimagine the way we perceive art, color, and images, using touch as your primary sense.
Practical information
The programme lasts from 16.30 until 18.30. Entrance to this programme is free, but due to limited capacity you need to register in advance. Location: VOX-POP, binnengasthuisstraat 9 (BG3, ground floor).
Alice Schippers has been professor by special appointment of Disability Studies at the University of Humanistics since 2021, on behalf of the Disability Studies Netherlands foundation, where she is also director-director. Her work focuses on quality of life, social inclusion and inclusive research, with a special focus on inclusion and exclusion within families and communities. For more than 20 years she has been active within the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual andDevelopmental Disabilities, where she is currently vice-president. She is involved in international professional journals and committees. As a researcher, leader and expert by experience, she is committed to an inclusive society, where ‘labels’ offer both challenges and opportunities.
In our visual world, it is sometimes challenging to understand visual information without sight. How do you learn about perspective or colours if you have never seen them? The Taktila™ system links feeling to colour and makes visual aspects tangible and experienceable. This unique tactile colour system helps make atmosphere and information accessible, supported by auditory explanations. In this workshop, discover how Taktila™ makes visual communication tangible and learn new ways to translate images and colours into feeling.
Madison MacKenzie is an alumna of UvA's Literary Studies MA program. Her research interests are in disability studies, human rights, embodiment, and technology studies. She has a personal and intellectual fascination with science fiction, and enjoys playing and analysing video games. Madison was born and raised in California. She has spent a year and a half living and working in Japan, and continues to study the Japanese language. She hopes to pursue a PhD in Literature with a focus on representations of dis/ability in Japanese sci-fi.