An Anti-Ableist Framework in Art Education

• Published in: Art education (Reston) 2022-01, Vol.75 (1), p.30-35
• Main Author: Wexler, Alice
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Art Education; COVID-19; Curriculum Development; Disabilities; Freehand Drawing; Pandemics; Social Bias; Social Discrimination; Special Education
• ISSN: 0004-3125; 2325-5161
• DOI: 10.1080/00043125.2021.1984797

The study of ableism, often defined as disability discrimination and prejudice, is still nascent when compared with racism, homophobia, and sexism. Anti-ableism highlights the inequities of institutions, including public education, in the United States that are structured for the success of the White middle class and offer little hope and resources for children of color and with disabilities. In this article, Alice Wexler examines ways to conceive drawing with children with disabilities that would not require accommodation, which is an unintentionally ableist practice because it separates them from their peers--both physically and emotionally. She inquires what kind of drawing methods might be interesting to all students and invite children with diverse disabilities to participate. She suggests two examples of anti-ableist drawing methods: collaborative doodles and walking a/r/tography. Doodling, however, has been central in two of her recent teaching experiences, which she describes in this article. She argues that in art education, unlike other subjects, educators can use the visual arts to advance anti-ableism. The purpose of this article is to acknowledge that art education practices rarely take advantage of this possibility.