Art/Access Lab:
Incongruent Access
Art/Access Labs foster a vibrant disabled artist ecosystem through cross-discipline and cross-impairment professional development activities.
*Hybrid Event* Attend in person or via Zoom
Doors at 1:30pm
Doors at 1:30pm
Event starts at 2:00pm
Event ends at 4:00pm
Join HCL, UDF, and Bri Beck for a facilitated community conversation surrounding the nuanced challenges of cross disability access in personal, professional, and communal spaces.
As disabled people, we often navigate the complexities of self-disclosure, accessibility, and supporting one another—especially when our access needs conflict. How do we balance personal well-being with community care? How can we acknowledge and navigate these tensions while fostering inclusivity?
Facilitated by Bri Beck, a licensed clinical professional counselor, this workshop invites participants into a thoughtful discussion on the realities of conflicting access needs. Together, we will explore expectations, boundaries, and the emotional complexities that arise when our needs don’t align. Through guided conversations and small-group discussions, we’ll reflect on real-life scenarios, share strategies, and consider how to create more inclusive spaces without sacrificing individual support.
All are welcome to join this important dialogue on the nuances of accessibility, interdependence, and the challenges of building truly inclusive communities.
Who Should Attend
Art/Access Labs are centered around artists with a lived experience of disability including Deaf, disabled, sick, neurodivergent, and Mad artists, and those working through their relationship to these categories, working in all mediums, with anyone who is invested in fostering a vibrant creative ecosystem inclusive of artists with disabilities.
Do you know someone with a disability, exploring their relationship to disability, or invested in fostering a vibrant disabled artist ecosystem? Please bring them along to this free community gathering!
RSVP
Advanced registration is appreciated but not required.
Meet the Facilitator
A headshot of Bri, a white woman with long brown hair and glasses. Bri is smiling at the camera and wearing a black top against a gradient orange-to-blue background.
Bri Beck, LCPC, ATR (she/her) is a mixed-media artist and licensed art therapist whose work explores the intersection of body and environment. Living with a rare form of dwarfism, Bri uses her art to examine how the built environment influences connection or tension, offering insight into experiences of accessibility and identity.
In her private art therapy practice, Bri specializes in supporting clients within the disability community, focusing on complex medical trauma, health anxiety, self-esteem, self-advocacy, and the psycho-social aspects of living with a disability. As a consultant, she trains therapists, educators, and healthcare providers on implementing disability-affirming and anti-ableist practices.
Bri is an active member of Chicago's Disability Arts, Culture, and Advocacy communities. She serves on the Chicago Community Trust Disability Advisory Board and contributes to grant-making initiatives for local disability nonprofits. Passionate about fostering connection and growth, Bri facilitates peer support groups, leads community workshops, and mentors aspiring art therapists.
Art/Access Lab Program Team
Aquil Chartlon
Sydney Erlikh
Terri Lynne Hudson
Angee Lennard
Amanda Lautermilch
Shireen Hamza
Access Information
This event is intended to be relaxed, welcoming and comfortable for everyone. We will have multiple forms of seating available, as well as stim materials and ear defenders. You are welcome to come and go, bring your own access tools, and move about the space as needed during the event.
ASL interpretation and open AI captions are provided both in person and virtually. All speakers will use microphones. Agendas will be provided to all registrants in both text and symbol-based formats. The main event space will not use fluorescent lighting.
Face masks are requested except when this presents a language barrier or when one is performing. Please refrain from wearing any scented perfume, cologne, lotion, etc.
For questions or requests regarding accessibility, please contact Angee Lennard, HCL’s Accessibility Coordinator, at angee@highconceptlabs.org or 312-374-1117.
Co-presented by High Concept Labs and Unfolding Disability Futures.