Unit 2 – Blog 1: Disability and Intersectionality: Systemic Barriers and Shared Responsibilities

UAL defines disability in line with the Equality Act 2010 as “a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on a person’s ability to do normal daily activities” (UAL, 2023). UAL also adopts the social model of disability, which shifts the focus from individual impairments to the structural barriers that exclude or disadvantage people. It encourages us, particularly as designers and artists, to shape inclusive environments. While I believe in the transformative potential of this model, my experience at UAL reveals the limitations of this vision when it is not backed by institutional commitment.

For example, in Camberwell, the lack of soundproofed environments impacts the quality of technical deliveries. This particularly affects neurodivergent students and staff or anyone with sensory processing challenges, it has been one of my biggest challenges as a Teaching and Learning technician, with these teaching contexts directly affecting my health. Though these are often considered invisible disabilities, they fall under the broader definition and should be actively accounted for. I have worked closely with two courses where course leaders were committed to inclusion, yet even with full teaching teams of architects and designers available, no one was ever consulted on the suitability of teaching spaces. Decisions were outsourced to external firms who reproduced design flaws across campuses. One course leader has been requesting acoustic panels for over two years. In another case, despite the availability of a more appropriate space, where I could have delivered my teaching in a quiet environment, the issue was dismissed without further discussion. This shows how rigid administrative practices and territorial dynamics within the institution can override access considerations.

Christine Sun Kim’s Friends and Strangers (2021) is a powerful articulation of what access means beyond ramps or captions. Her work brings attention to how education, family, and culture become accessible or not depending on state systems and public policy. She reflects on raising a child in Berlin, where state-funded childcare enabled her to balance motherhood and practice as a deaf artist. Her emphasis on collaboration, whether with interpreters, her child, or her partner, points to intersectional entanglements of disability, parenthood, and economic structures. Her statement, “I am jealous of artists who have the privilege to be misunderstood,” captures the pressure to constantly explain oneself when one’s experience falls outside dominant norms.

Similarly, Chay Brown and the co-founders of ParaPride speak to the layered experience of being LGBTQIA+, a trans man, and disabled, whilst acknowledging his privilege as white-passing cis-men, with a hidden disabilty. They discuss how access is often partial, with venues offering step-free access but lacking accessible toilets. As an architect, I recognise this as a systemic design failure that reflects how limited interpretations of access can still exclude. In my role, I often reflect on where responsibility begins and ends: is it at the border of our classroom? At the entrance of the university? At the scale of the city – ensuring accessible commute? This question itself shows the limits of individual initiatives when tackling such overwhelming subjects.

Ade Adepitan (Channel 4, 2021) also emphasises intersectionality, linking race and disability. He points out that real change often comes from systemic disruptions such as the growth of Black Lives Matter or the increased visibility of the Paralympics. Audience figures for the Paralympics doubled between the 2008 Beijing Games and London 2012, with over 2.7 million tickets sold in 2012 (IPC, 2013). He highlights how meaningful visibility allows people to thrive when they are given space to be seen. However, these moments of change do not emerge in isolation. They only become transformative when society has slowly shifted enough to be ready for them. What might feel like small or even meaningless individual actions can, over time, accumulate and create the conditions for larger change. As Raymond Williams (1977) suggests, culture is not made solely through dramatic events but through a “whole way of life,” shaped by long-term, collective effort.

The UAL disability video presents valuable intentions but places a heavy burden on individual staff. While staff should remain accountable within their remit, systemic change requires structural investment. Otherwise, we risk idealising personal action in contexts where institutional inertia persists.

Finally, I have rarely encountered students or staff with visible disabilities. This absence itself points to broader barriers, possibly occurring well before students even reach university level.

References

Channel 4 (2021) Interview with Ade Adepitan. Available at: https://www.channel4.com [Accessed 18 Jun 2025].
Crenshaw, K. (1989) ‘Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex’, University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), pp.139–167.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) (2013) London 2012 sets new benchmark for Paralympic Games. Available at: https://www.paralympic.org [Accessed 18 Jun 2025].
Kim, C.S. (2021) Friends and Strangers. Available at: https://www.christinesunkim.com [Accessed 18 Jun 2025].
ParaPride (2022) About Us. Available at: https://www.parapride.org [Accessed 18 Jun 2025].
UAL (2023) UAL Disability and Inclusion Policy. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk [Accessed 18 Jun 2025].
Williams, R. (1977) Marxism and Literature. Oxford, Oxford University Press.