Do you identify as a person with a disability and live in a rural area?

Your assistance is needed!

 

Apart from being a registered art therapist, I am also a PhD researcher at Memorial University. I am inviting people with disabilities to share their experiences of belonging and exclusion in rural places through creative and arts-based approaches. This study values multiple ways of knowing and expressing experience—not just words.

Who can participate?

  • Adults (25+) who identify as having a disability (including visible, invisible, chronic or complex)
  • People who currently live in a rural community
  • All people with an interest in artmaking are welcome (whether you doodle as a hobby, are self-taught, or have some formal training)
  • Prior art therapy clients can still participate if:
    • You acknowledge that the client/therapist relationship has ended (minimum of 4 years)
    • You acknowledge that this is a new relationship between artists
    • If you still need therapeutic services, other support can be arranged. Alternatively, we can discuss whether the prior client/therapist relationship or the new relationship between artists is more important to your well-being.

 What participation involves:

  • After you contact me, we will set up a time for an initial conversation to discuss the requirements of participation in detail. You may have some meaningful experiences related to belonging to contribute to this study!
  • Participation formats will be flexible and accessible to meet your needs
  • You will be asked to respond to three prompts about belonging using creative materials of your choosing (painting, sculpting, creative writing, oral storytelling...). Then you will discuss your creative piece as it relates to belonging. These discussions will be turned into found poetry for the group!
  • Choose the most accessible option: you can participate in person in our Corner Brook location (31 Wellington Street), or online. Each workshop should take approximately 1.5 hours on three Saturdays in August. The Zoom privacy policy: https://www.zoom.com/en/trust/privacy/privacy-statement/#_qhklx843v2zq
  • At the website launch party, you will also be asked to participate in a focus group, when you will be asked about the public display of your artwork which expresses your perspective as a person with a disability. This event will be held as a hybrid online / in person event, and will take approximately 2 hours.
  • You may choose how your work is shared and how you are represented
  • Participation is voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time

 

For more information, please contact me at smp173@mun.ca, by phone at (709) 632 9464.

 

 

Sandra Hewitt-Parsons, RCAT-S, PhD ( c )

Faculty of Education, Memorial University

Email: smp173@mun.ca

Phone: (709) 632 9464