Access As Art.
[Banner is a pen drawing with text on top that reads “Access As Art.” A ramp changes upward to an arched door. The door goes to a different planet.]
Access As Art.
The Curiosity Paradox considers access to mean the negotiation between individuals, institutions, and communities that allows Disabled people to be present.
Disabled people in the United States—particularly Disabled people with intersecting Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, POC, immigrant, and refugee identities—are deprived of access to power, through such forces as prejudice, poverty, and incarceration.
For this reason, we use creativity to slow down and question everyday processes as a way of centering and negotiating the access needs of marginalized people.
Tools of Negotiation
Access Check-Ins
Instead of assuming everyone we meet with is fully present, we make space to check in and then negotiate how our time together can be as supportive as possible. This might mean slowing down, adding in breaks, considering physical needs like water, or simply acknowledging multiple perspectives. More on the Access Check In.
Centering Collective Care
As a rule, dominant culture defaults to efficiency, which leads to interactions which are draining. The Curiosity Paradox experiments specifically with a process called Threshold Practice to help our clients and audiences negotiate ways to create more care amongst each other. The end goal is an interaction that feels more regenerative.
Slow Down Decision-Making
Because even the smallest decision can disproportionately benefit dominant systems, we use an equity lens to help clients parse out the potential impacts of their choices.