“Both artists and architects have taken away a better mutual understanding and respect of each others design practices, which I hope will add an extra dimension of thought in future work - particularly from an architectural perspective when considering access needs.” Chris Ankin, artist

Both disabled people and architects are often put in uncomfortable positions by ‘accessibility’ issues. Architects are accused of not taking people's needs into account, or not understanding the experiences of disabled people. Disabled people, meanwhile, find themselves defined by their disability rather than as real people attempting to lead ordinary lives.

We hope that by supporting partnering between architects, associated agencies and disabled artists, we will begin to find alternative, creative and exciting ways to think about accessibility, inclusion and the built environment, beyond these old assumptions.

Architecture-InsideOut aims to host different kinds of events which bring creative people from diverse backgrounds together to discuss issues and to develop innovative examples of inclusive design in collaboration.

Some events will be to support deaf and disabled artists in expressing their experiences of, and creativity around the built environment. Others will enable architects and artists to collaborate. And others will be about taking the debate further, to other deaf and disabled people and to other professionals and enablers involved with the built environment.

One of the mechanisms we are using for enabling these creative dialogues is the charrette - an intensive, short collaborative design workshop. This is a well-known device amongst architects for developing creative ideas quickly and enjoyably. Architecture-InsideOut has been hosting a series of charrettes bringing together architects and Deaf and disabled artists (see sidebar).

"It was stimulating and thought-provoking to work with the artists Tony and Chris, and to interact with a familiar environment so differently perceived." Robert Sakula, Ash Sakula Architects

Following the success of our event-based collaborations between architects and disabled and Deaf artists, we are now working together with several practices on potential shared project for building designs.

These aim to be distinctive from other architect-artist collaborations, because the creative outcomes will be centrally about architectural space rather than public art.

By undertaking collaborations, projects and events together, Architecture-InsideOut aims to developing an increasingly large network of people who are thinking about disability and architecture differently.

By building on our creativity and what we share, as well as our differences, AIO aims ultimately to make a positive improvement to the quality of the built environment for everyone.

Whenever we faciliate events we also aim to ask a deaf or disabled artist(s) to capture the process, and to translate their interpretation(s) creatively, adding another layer of rich experience which we also hope will communicate our ideas and approaches to a wide audience.

The capture artists for the InQbate workshops were Noemi Lakmaier and Rachel Gadsden: and for the Tate Modern charrette was Rachel Gadsden with Joseph Young and Abigail Norris.

Involvement with tutors and students on architecture, interiors and related courses; exploring new ways of collaborating. Examples which AIO artists have been involved in include:

• working with students on the Interior Architecture course at the University of Brighton in Spring 07 on the Making Discursive Spaces project.
• as a partner in the new MA in Inclusive Arts Practices, in the Faculty of Arts and Architecture, University of Brighton, starting September 2008.

• through the 'Outside In' project, developing educational resources: devised by Tanja Gangar at Uckfield Community College and featuring the work of Daniel Balcombe

  ‘The title of the project, reflected the process of bringing wider issues of disability and specific questions around identity into the school environment. By introducing the web site to a group of students with special learning needs I wanted to address some of the very real issues students faced around questions of access within the school environment as well as supporting specific Art and Citizenship links within the National Curriculum.’ Tanja Gangar, teacher and project supervisor.

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* through the Squaring the Circle project which has included working with architecture students at the University of Portsmouth.

For the kind of changes that AIO envisages to happen, we need professional development for both disabled artists and architects.

On the one hand, this means supporting disabled and Deaf artists wanting to develop their creative practice professionally, particularly those interested in getting involved in working on built environment projects.

On the other, it is about the offering CPD and other courses for architects and other built environment professionals, led by disabled and Deaf artists.

AIO is actively exploring possibilities in these areas.