Thread by @Inadarkwood

I'm excited to see this, the first 'poetry course run by Arvon tutored by, and for, D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse poets.' The question that needs to be asked now is, why did it take this long?

arvon.org/writing-course…

Arvon celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2018. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see this course, but I can't help but wonder why Arvon have suddenly acknowledged the existence of disabled writers, after ignoring them for over half a lifetime?

The bitter irony of Arvon running their first course for disabled writers is that if the pandemic wasn't going on, a majority of disabled people literally wouldn't be able to get their foot in the door of Arvon's three writing centres, because they're...less than accessible.

And even with a PiP concession, the course for disabled writers is still £140, a price tag that will exclude more disabled writers than it includes. If Arvon are going to start thinking about disabled writers, go all the way. Make your buildings and your infrastructure accessible

If you're going to include disabled writers after fifty years of ignoring us, go all the way. Make your writing centres accessible. Offer higher concessions or more free places, or both. Think about how your infrastructure has excluded disabled writers, and continues to do so.

If Arvon is serious about including disabled writers, then they need to make a commitment to accessibility. Arvon needs to think about who they exclude by having inaccessible writing centres and by offering so few free or concessionary places.

If Arvon has any plans to make this course the first of many that centres disabled writers, then they need to deeply interrogate how their practises as an organisation exclude the very disabled writers they're trying (and failing) to reach.