Raising awareness of inclusive crafts: building capacity and self-sufficiency of communication within the Charity SAFOD and the Countries of SA.

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The aim of this follow-on proposal is to enhance the awareness of people within the countries of Southern Africa to the opportunities for inclusive arts and crafts through a Assistive Technology exhibition being organised in Namibia for April 2019 to publicise the Crafts abilities network outcomes; and, make people with disabilities as well as the general public aware of and celebrate the work in inclusive arts crafts and design from the ten Countries in which the Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD), who help 50,000 people in local communities. The project will deliver information and raise awareness among the 66 Million people who live in Southern Africa of Inclusive crafts and available Assistive Technology (AT) resources.An AHRC sponsored network activity (Arts and crafts abilities, ref: AH/R004307/1) that involved disabled arts and craftspeople from the Southern Africa federation of the disabled (SAFOD) and those from the UK highlighted a number of aspects to be celebrated and challenges to be addressed: 1) The needs of disabled artists and crafts people are very similar in the UK and Southern Africa, for able-bodied and disabled alike; 2) The need to identify a market for their artefacts that will pay a fair price for their work; 3) making it easier to produce artefacts; 4) Training of new disabled artists and craftspeople; 5) Celebrating the quality of ideas and concepts produced, as well as the heritage crafts used to create products and works of art; 6) Ways of reframing society's viewpoint of them (as 'no-person' disabled and in some cases because they are female) and viewing their work more inclusively; and, 7) Exploiting the many opportunities to share knowledge, skills and ideas through dialogue using different communication formats and technologies. Through a celebration of the quality and diversity of inclusive crafts being produced it is hoped to begin to change perceptions about disabled and female members of communities in Southern Africa and their value within their Society. The delegates from SAFOD preferred the term disabled people over people living with a disability or similar terms and so this is the term used throughout the proposal. The proposed exhibition in Namibia will continue the theme of cultural exchange and raising awareness of inclusive crafts. The exhibitions will be accompanied by a catalogue of artefacts and products produced, which will also include everyday living assistive technologies (AT products) and where to obtain them. The AT products and resources support an existing online project that identifies these resources AT-Info-Map, (https://assistivetechmap.org/). During the exhibition Dr Tim Whitehead will present more detail of the outcomes of the previous network event and promote resources for Inclusive crafts, including those accessible from the Crafts Council in the UK. The catalogue will have a pre-paid reply card to request further information about any of the topics highlighted. Those using the request card will be able to ask to be notified of any new events or work through a range of communication options; and, become members of SAFOD. This will facilitate future dialogue with a wider audience about a wider range of issues relating to disability assistive technology and inclusivity. The project will lead a pathway to the overarching aim of reframing society's view of disability and disabled people.