(A preface to say I wrote this post before we were told that we could take a more fluid approach to these tasks)

• UAL Disability Service Webpage: This resource is very helpful in understanding the help put in place by UAL to guide and support students who may be experiencing a disability. It also frames the definition of disability not as a difference that may come from a person, but rather a difference that comes from the way the world is designed. It is not the body or mind that is disabled, but the world that disables it. This perspective is interesting in questioning the way my course is structured and how I might deliver content from a perspective different to my own, but also in understanding the resources that are available to me should I need help in creating a more inclusive atmosphere in my classrooms. 
• This Nowness film presents the work of Christine Sun Kim, a sound artist working in performance. Being deaf, Christine challenges societal conventions around sound and through her works tries to regain ownership of sound. I found this notion of ownership interesting in considering how as able-bodied human beings, we take our abilities for granted and might place our experience over the experience of others. The way that she is able to express this through the visualisation of sound is quite powerful. During her performance, she has control over which sounds are made and how. There seems to be a playful element to her work and she talks about the sense of freedom performance gives her. In this moment, she controls the narrative which too often belongs to able-bodied people.
• The interview with Vilissa Thompson, creator of the #DisabilityTooWhite hashtag highlights the whitewashing of disability representation in the media and within the disabled community. It also discusses the implications this has to disabled people of colour’s experiences of everyday life as well as their sense of belonging. Indeed Vilissa Thomson sheds light on how disabled people of colour often face additional barriers and marginalisation because of the intersection of their race and disability. In this way, she considers how intersectional awareness can be used to acknowledge one’s own privilege and foster more inclusive representation of the disabled community. She also discussed the importance of centring the voice of disabled people of colour in the fight for disability rights.  In general, I think this is something that is really important, giving time and space to voices that are often silenced or ignored. I hope to continue to nurture this in my teaching practice.
• Deaf-accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring Eve and Mary Are Having Coffee while chronically ill by Khairani Barokka is a harrowing account of her experience as an artist experiencing chronic pain. The author describes how invisible disabilities such as chronic pain are often dismissed by wider-society and the terrible implications this can have on the mental health and ability to even produce work as an artist that experiences chronic pain. Once again, this paper discusses the importance of intersectional awareness as a way to make space and advocate for D/deaf and disabled communities. Ultimately encouraging the creation of a more caring approach to creative practices, which is something that can definitely be applied to a educational spaces, ensuring that students feel safe enough to voice their needs and for us as educators to facilitate and listen. 
• A note from Birds of Paradise is Robert’s reflection on the articles featured in the Terms of Reference Journal by SoN. In it, he discusses a professional and emotional response to the content of the publication. What stands out is his enthusiasm at the diversity of experiences of disabled people evoked in the publication, which contrast with their often too reductive and sometimes offensive representation by Western society. I think there is something beautiful in that, knowing that no two experiences will ever be the same and letting that guide how we engage with people and the world around us: always listening first and giving a voice to people that have something to say. I think being open to the diversity of experiences students may have had or may be facing is something that is essential to building a caring teaching practice.