What My Disability Can Do!
In May 2022, in partnership with the University's Disability Support Network, we launched a competition for students to submit a piece of original art to raise awareness of all disabilities on campus.
This project aimed to educate and raise awareness of all disabilities on campus and allowed students to share their artwork as well as promoting accessibility, inclusivity, and community themes.
We recieved many entries from students who identified as disabled or who are affected by physical or invisible disabilities. Submissions included illustrations, paintings, photography, graphic design and drawings.
The judging panel was made up of representatives from DSN, LU Arts and the Staff Inclusivity Group. Together they chose the winning submissions below.
- 1st place - Invisibility Doesn't Invalidate My Disability by Lauran Perkins
- 2nd place - More Than A Bad Period by Charlotte Boundy
- 3rd place - The Invisible War by Hibah Khan
- Special commendation - Thinking Outside The Box
Winner - Lauran Perkins
Second Place - Charlotte Boundy
Third Place - Hibah Khan
"My name’s Hibah Khan and I’m a 1st year psychology student! I’ve struggled most of my life with my mental health issues. Alongside that struggle comes the stigma, the invalidating comments, and the toxic positivity; people who don’t know what we go through are so adamant to tell us who we are and what we need. It can feel like you’re at war with your mind and the world all the same time. I drew my surrealist self-portrait with the aim of illustrating the empowerment of reclaiming your own narrative; only when I do that can I find growth from my struggles, and the beauty in my growth. We all deserve to feel proud of how far we have come, and no one has the right to take that away from us.
The two dividing heads in my piece are my way of visually illustrating what it feels like to struggle daily with draining and intense mental health symptoms; this part was important for me to express because when you’re struggles aren’t visible, so many people feel the need to invalidate you. The flower symbolises growth, because we all still have the potential to grow and become a beautiful version of ourselves despite any invisible or visible struggles we face."
Special Commendation - Thinking Outside The Box
"I'm a first-year Creative Arts student here at Loughborough. I really believe in the communicative power of art to promote positive change. This competition was a chance for me to use art to express a little of my own experience being autistic, and how it can be a benefit for me in my field of study.