Interview with Nicole Tomita, Staff Member @ Epic Arts

Today I interviewed Nicole Tomita, a long-term volunteer staff member at Epic Arts. Nicole is originally from California USA and has been involved with Epic for 18 months. She has worked in a number of capacities at the organisation, first as the Art Tutor on the Inclusive Arts Course and then as a Graphic Designer for Epic Arts. During her time at Epic Arts, Nicole also enabled her brother Eric to come to Cambodia for six months and volunteer with us, Eric has Down Syndrome. You can view Eric's blog here about his time with us at Epic Arts.

https://epicericcambodia.wordpress.com

Nicole is also undertaking some research for Epic Arts in to Special Education in Cambodia and you can view her research blog here.

http://secambodia.blogspot.com

Nicole Tomita, Staff Member @ Epic Arts

Interview, Thoughts and Comments

Nicole and her brother Eric

How would you describe inclusive arts?

I would describe it as doing something creative that is successful and achievable by all people. I think that most art forms in the 'traditional sense', can exclude people in some way, without meaning to, just by the way it is. For example drawing for someone who has difficulty seeing can exclude them just by its nature. But inclusive arts at Epic means that every person who wants to experience or learn about the arts can come here and can learn about it and succeed, because It is adaptable.

What do you think are the things that you do or think that make successful inclusive arts happen at Epic Arts?

I have a number of different jobs at Epic Arts and each one of them has a different function in aiding the organisation in inclusion. For example, when I am teaching it's important to have the right translators in the lesson with regards to the languages used (sign, English, Khmer). It's important that those who cannot hear can still understand everything I am saying. For the graphic design that I do, I work with the team to ensure that the work I do is inclusive of the languages in use and is a visual representation of something to aid those who cannot read. We are currently exploring the use of adding sign images to design work too. I would like to explore how we could make audio designs, creating audio versions of posters would be exciting to be involved in. Here is some of Nicole’s design work for Epic Arts:

In terms of my teaching on the Inclusive Arts Course, there have been many experiences of successful inclusive arts. Last year when a student who was blind joined the course I did a lot of planning and preparation before the lessons. I would plan the lesson overall for all the students but included adaptations for that particular student, so that he would not only be able to access the lesson, but to do so on the same level as the other students. I really enjoyed this, I had to think in a different way and try out my ideas from the student’s point of view so that I would know that it worked... It was fun to do. Generally the main point when I am teaching art to the Inclusive Arts students is that I am well prepared and aware of the needs of each student and how they can work on the project within the group, not just as individuals.

We did one project where we made frames with canvas stretched over them. The group worked together as a team to create each part of the frames and then added painted images to them. Some students where better at one part of the process than others, sometimes this was due to their disability, sometimes not, but they worked out the best place for themselves within the team and worked as a unit to complete the work. 

What do you think other people need to do or think to make successful inclusive arts happen?

I think when working in an inclusive arts environment you have to reconsidered everything you would normally do and look at what you plan to do from the perspective of each of the students. Sometimes something will come up that you can't prepare for, an unexpected difficultly, but this is a opportunity to enable the student and ask them how can they adapt the activity to suit them. This adaptability is the equal responsibility of both the student and the teacher, but I find that the most important thing is to talk to the person you are adapting for, they know themselves the best and it is important not to assume what someone can and can't do.

I have one student with a visual impairment in the class, but I never assume he can not do something, I often provide a suggested adaptation to an activity, sometimes he tries it, sometimes he says he is happy with the original idea and sometimes he comes up with a better solution than I had and I learn something new. I think it's very important to keep open lines of communication between everyone to enable development, understanding and learning on all sides. When doing an inclusive arts project it's so important not to take an individuals choice and creative decisions away from them, even when this is well meaning and is intended to assist. The one key thing I have learnt is to keep talking, keep listening, keep communicating and keep asking questions and giving suggesting; it's a learning journey together.

In terms of the kind of attitude people need to make successful inclusive arts happened, I would say it is important to have a creative outlook and be a creative thinker and problem solver. It's important to not be too proud and to see the whole process as a personal learning journey rather than a joint learning journey. We must try not to be offended ore take something personally if we are are told something isn't working, but to take a step back and rethink it, don't be too stubborn. The inclusive arts environment needs to be open and changeable and there needs to always to be space within it to move and to learn as we go.

I like to see the inclusive arts students when they are together outside of their workshops; they work together and assist each other when needed without even thinking about it. For example there may be a student who is deaf and a student who is a wheelchair user and they need to get something that is high up and the deaf student will just notice that they can assist, not make a big deal out of it and just reach it for them, there is no communication, just an understanding. Seeing these moments of natural understanding and awareness is wonderful, the students are so natural together and know the needs of each other.

The students are very much a community and they can read each other and often don't need to ask each other if they need help, they know the strengths and weakness of each other. They also know when someone can do something and maybe chooses not to, they also don't let people get away with being 'lazy' or not doing things that they are completely capable of. There isn't a sense of awkwardness between people in general at Epic, if someone can do something themselves they do it, if someone needs assistance they ask, or people just know. I think that because there is no real political correctness in Cambodia compared to the West, there isn't that fear of doing something wrong, there is just a sense of community, understanding and respect.

Have you ever experienced this yourself and can you give me an example?

I think the beauty of the work at Epic is that no one 'tip-toes' around people, there is very much a sense of aiming for high quality and that often means telling people where they are going wrong and how they can do something better. This often means telling people with disabilities that they are not doing something as well as they could, or that they could make improvements here and there. There is a sense of striving for the best, pushing to be the best that we can be regardless of ability and that often means being honest and open with everyone on an equal level.

I think sometimes in the West people are fearful of criticising someone with a disability, thinking that will be seen as being unfair or mean, but all people are people and if we want people to grow and develop they need to be told where they are going wrong and how they can improve regardless of who they are. Again in the West I think we try hard to cater to people with disabilities, which is how it should be, but at times this can lead to people with disabilities getting used to 'special' treatment and other people being fearful of telling them they are wrong. Whether people have or do not have a disability it is equally important that people are told honestly what they are doing in the arts, there is no help in telling someone over and over that something is great when it isn't - there is no learning and no development.

In Cambodia there is a 'get on with it' attitude with many of those with disabilities. There is not much help or assistance and if you want to get out of the house and survive, you have to work out a way to do it. This is not a good thing, but I think it has cultivated this attitude of determination and adaptability and pushing for more. There is an 'I can do it' attitude that many of the people with disabilities at Epic have, which I think has grown from their life experiences as disabled people in Cambodia. It's different from the West in that way, there is help and assistance and adapted buildings and transport and there is financial help from the government and while this is a positive thing, I do wonder if this has produced a reliance and can, for some people, reduce independence and adaptability.

What do you think people do or think that can stop successful inclusive arts from happening?

I think that sometimes people can make assumptions about people with disabilities, they assume someone cannot do something, or they assume that because I am non-disabled I must be the disabled persons 'carer'. This has happened a number of times when I am out in the town in Kampot with my friend who is a wheelchair user. People will talk to me and not him as they assume that he cannot understand or he needs help. This tends to be because people are just not aware; people don't have much knowledge about people with disabilities in Cambodia.

The main reason for inclusive arts being unsuccessful is people’s pre-conceived ideas and assumptions of people's limits. I have a brother who has Down Syndrome and this idea has been something that we have battled with throughout his life, people are always making assumptions of what he can and can't do. There are things that he can't do or doesn't want to do, but he needs to make these decisions himself, not be told what he can't do or isn't capable of. Sometimes my brother just needs a little more time than other people to do things, but this doesn't mean he can't do it. There have been times when people have tried to make choices for him and taken opportunities away because they have thought he couldn't do it, rather than giving him a chance to try.

I have had experiences when people have told me I shouldn't do something with my brother or teach him something because 'it's not really worth it because he has Down Syndrome', so I think for me it's so important to believe that everyone is capable of doing anything if they want to, they just need to do it in their own way. Sometimes maybe a person can genuinely not do something and that's ok, but you have to let that person work that out for themselves, not make the decision for them.

I remember when I first joined Epic and did my first end of term assessment for the Inclusive Arts Course. I read the guidelines for teachers on how to conduct the assessments and I read the part about how students are assessed and that they aren't being assessed on a scale of 'bad to good', but on a scale of their personal best and their personal ability. I felt that even in terms of assessment, the way that the Inclusive arts Course is set out is not making assumptions, but for people to develop and grown within their personal capabilities - each student is a creative individual.

In the past I have seen and experienced people making assumptions about people which limits what people can do or think they can do, also I have experienced people not being adaptable and wanting things on their terms and expecting people to move to meet them, rather than trying to 'meet in the middle'. It's so important that people are aware of other people and their experiences of a situation and how we all need to adapt, move and change to make space for another person. We cannot be selfish and want something to be the way we want it, in the same way, we shouldn't move too close to what the other person needs too; their needs to be a middle ground, their needs to respect ourselves and of each others - This the true nature of inclusion in the arts.

…………………………………………….

What has this told me about the inclusive arts practice within this activity at Epic Arts? What are the key themes?

Adaptability

Nicole talks about how the arts can be excluding purely because of how arts skills are traditionally perceived. She says that inclusive art means that these skills are adapted to enable the arts to be inclusive of all people. Nicole explains that people must also not be focused solely on what they need and then expect everyone to adapt to them, but to allow for people to ‘meet in the middle’ when adapting

Communication

Nicole recognizes the importance of clear and effective communication what she is teaching on the Inclusive Arts Course. If the students cannot understand her then they are excluded so she uses Khmer/English and Khmer/ Sign translators throughout her lessons. In her design work, Nicole is aware of the need to make visual representations in her designs and combines languages and images to enable easy understanding and recognition of a logo or design.

Knowledge

Nicole talks about a time she planned work for a student who was blind who would join an art class. She gained knowledge about his disability and experimented with how she could adapt the activity for him. She tried to improve her knowledge and own understanding by putting her self in his position. She points out that its is key for her when teaching to be knowledgeable about the needs of the students

Teamwork

Nicole tells the story of the Inclusive Arts students working to make canvas frames as a clear example of teamwork. She recognizes that the students learnt what their strengths and weakness were, as a team, and then they created roles within the team to achieve the tasks set by drawing on each person’s strengths. Nicole also explains that its important to have a team based attitude, not to be too proud and to focus on a personal learning journey, but the learning journey of the group as whole

Listen

Nicole explains that when she is adapting an activity for a student its important that she listens to them and allows for them to make their own decisions. She says that in inclusive arts teaching she needs to keep listening, asking questions and giving suggestions. She also talks about ‘listening’ to other people when she says its key for us to be aware of other people’s experience of a situation. We need to look and listen to how someone is experiencing something to prevent any exclusion

See Ability

Nicole emphasized the importance of seeing the ability in her students and not deciding what they can or cannot do, but providing options and adaptations and then enabling the students to make their own choices. Often she finds that the students themselves have an idea of how they could adapt an activity that is better than her own adaption. Nicole shares a personal story about her brother who has Downs Syndrome and how she gets frustrated when people deicide what he can and cannot do before he is allowed to try. She says sometimes he does not want to do something or cannot do something, but she wants him to have that the chance to make that decision himself.

Creative Interaction Cycle

Nicole calls teaching on the Inclusive Arts Course a learning journey that is taken together. She gives examples of how she learns from her student and they learn from her, they each make an impact on each other’s development.

Individual Creativity

Nicole states that she feels that to be successful within inclusive arts, practice people need to be creative in their outlook and have the ability to be a creative problem solver and creative thinker. This does not necessarily mean someone needs to be skilled in an arts area, but to be individually creative in his or her own area of work. Nicole also discusses the assessment criteria of the Inclusive Arts Course and says she likes the way that the assessment enables each person to develop creatively within their ability in order to achieve success

We Are Human

Nicole points out that the natural human response of being offended if we are told something is wrong, as something that can hinder inclusive arts practice. She believes that we must all try to move away from this natural human response, not to be too proud or stubborn, but to learn when something doesn’t work and be able to rethink and change an idea.

Inclusive Ambassadors

Nicole notices that the idea of inclusion and acceptance is not just resigned to the arts workshops at Epic Arts, but is a part of everyday life for the staff and students. They are aware of the needs of each other and they respond to these needs.

Community

Nicole sees the students on the Inclusive Arts Course as a community who understanding and supports each other. They are aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and adapt to these and they are also very aware of each other’s abilities and what they can do and someone is not giving their all and can do better.

Disability in Cambodia

Nicole recognizes that there is no sense of awkwardness between disabled and non-disabled people in Epic Arts. She wondered if this is to do with the state of disability awareness in Cambodia, that there is no assumed ‘right or wrong’ way to treat someone with a disability, so there is no fear of offending or saying or doing something wrong. Nicole says that in the West people are often fearful of criticizing someone with a disability, but she feels that not being told what is right and wrong causes problems socially and developmentally. She feels that in the West, with the determination to cater to the needs of people with disabilities, we can end up not giving equal treatment, but ‘special’ treatment. She feels people in Cambodia are more open to being honest with people with disabilities.

High Quality

Nicole says that at Epic Arts everyone is striving for high quality in the work they do and this sometimes means saying when something can be improved or when something is not good enough, but there is no fear in saying that to anyone, regardless of status or ability, if it is genuine and honest.

A ‘Can Do’ Attitude

Nicole says that, in Cambodia, she sees that for many people with disabilities they have a ‘Can Do’ attitude that has grown out of necessity. Because there are few provisions for people with disabilities in Cambodia, many people with disabilities have to work out a way of doing something themselves if they want tot do it. Nicole wondered if the services provided for people with disabilities in the West, though totally necessary, have led to a reliance on services and that this has removed the need for a ‘Can Do’ attitude for some people in the West.

Respect

Nicole explains that she thinks that respect is a key attitude in inclusive arts practice. She says we need to respect others and also ourselves and not compromise too much when making adaptations and move to far in one direction, but try to meet on a middle ground.