A Co Armagh neurodiverse artist is leading an international project aimed at making travel easier for people with disabilities.
Julie McGowan from Craigavon designed the Urban Survival Kits (USK) project, working with 40 disabled adults from Northern Ireland, Germany, Poland, Turkey and Croatia to create tools that will make their journeys more accessible.
After a functional neurological disorder episode after surgery in 2020 left her partially paralysed, she had to learn to walk again. When she tarted to travel again, she saw the huge hurdles facing disabled people.
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Julie is a successful sculptor, photographer and performance artist and needs to travel regularly for her work.
She said: “Having a disability can make travel extremely difficult, even short journeys can be problematic for some people. We are looking at different ways to help people be more independent and feel confident to negotiate any hurdles they may face.”
Urban Survival Kits is part of the University of Atypical International Research Programme that explores new models of creative engagement with d/Deaf, Disabled and Neurodiverse people. It is funded by the Erasmus + EU programme.
It's bringing people together this week with workshops in the Crescent Arts Centre, the Ulster Museum and on Zoom to look at individual needs which might include communication tools, improved identification systems and strategies for coping with unfamiliar situations.
Chief Executive of the University of Atypical, Damien Coyle, said: “The Urban Survival Kits project is an important aspect of the partnership work we do at University of Atypical.
"We are working with four other EU nations to help improve Disabled people’s experience of travelling locally, nationally, and internationally.
“The project develops new creative approaches for d/Deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse people’s travel and creates tools and resources that will help make travel easier. The tools and resources will be developed by the project participants”
During the week-long workshops, each individual will make their own personalised urban survival kit with items such as safety whistles, personal alarms, identity tags and communication or flash cards for those with autism.
They will also create individualised backpacks with multi-sensory tags and bracelets containing short words so the person with disabilities doesn’t have to communicate using speech.
Julie added: “Many neurodiverse people feel overwhelmed during a journey and may need a time out. If they present a card saying ‘give me ten minutes’ - that can help. People can be very insensitive and make things worse.”
The project is a two-year initiative by University of Atypical and offers a programme of live and online explorative workshops, local exhibitions in each of the participating countries, a virtual and 3D exhibition, and an international exhibition which takes place in Belfast in 2023.
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