For my ARP I have tried to refer back to my intervention which explored gender and disability and have narrowed down the aims by focusing upon whether adaptable tools can assist students in their learning.
The tools were initially used to teach and assist a colleague’s return to sewing after experiencing limb loss and physical injury. After my colleague engaged so positively with the pack I put together, I felt these tools could be utilised in the studios and offered up to first year students in their sewing skills workshops at Central Saint Martins. This led me to question, “Can adaptable sewing tool packs improve student development of sewing skills and foster a sense of inclusion?”
The purpose of the study is to analyse attempts at creating a more inclusive student experience and development of skills, and whether this has a positive impact. If not, why? What could be improved? Can adaptable sewing tool packs improve student development of sewing skills and foster a sense of inclusion? In the journal article ‘Teaching Sewing Techniques to Students with Disabilities’ by Jamoliddinova, Makhbuba and Sotvoldiyevna, they state: “Students with disabilities encompass a wide spectrum of abilities and challenges. Some may face physical limitations, while others may experience cognitive or sensory impairments. Recognizing these differences is crucial for designing effective teaching strategies that address individual needs. In the context of sewing, educators must be attuned to the unique challenges students may encounter, such as difficulties with hand-eye coordination, sensory sensitivities, or challenges in following sequential instructions.”
The action will occur during the first technical sewing workshops the students attend at university. I will be trying to create more accessibility to the sewing machines and other technical equipment, by creating packs with adaptive tools to aid in sewing clothing for differently abled students. These tools will be open to all students to access as they are of benefit to everyone. I want to see if this improves accessibility and engagement with sewing skills by disabled and neurodivergent students as well as the wider student body.
I feel these tools would be useful to all students in encouraging them to use aids. There can be a discourse amongst sample machinists that using tools to assist in sewing is unprofessional and a ‘proper’ machinist does not use such tools. I want to question that narrative and give students of all abilities the option to try new, perhaps non-traditional, approaches to garment construction. I find that many students are deterred by the sewing/technical element of the course and leave tasks they deem ‘difficult’ to the technicians, as the garment construction is not graded and can therefore be deemed as not important.
I will gather qualitative data through surveys and I will interpret it through thematic analysis. I must be wary of my own biases and position of power as a specialist technician, white, able-bodied, cisgender woman and how this can impact the generation and interpretation of data. As stated by Ahmed et al (2025) “researchers may present themes as “emerging” from the data without acknowledging their role in constructing them, which risks obscuring the interpretative process.” I will try to reduce the impact of my positionality by introducing the survey to students in a deferential way, emphasising the help it will provide me, encouraging honesty and emphasising the anonymity of the surveys. I need to remain conscious of my own potential biases when analysing the data.
My project question should be open, and not trying to create an outcome I desire. When writing my survey I will be wary of asking leading questions and offer up an open space for critique and discussion. The aim is to test whether these packs actually have any impact and how students engage and interact with them. I am conscious that the studio environment and its lack of accessibility/adaptability could be deterring students who are differently abled and I believe we as technicians can make changes to create a more inclusive teaching environment.