Cards for Inclusion is a card game helping those in the arts sector by exploring how barriers can be removed, and how we all can make what we offer more accessible to disabled people. Now available in Spanish!
Click on the links below to view our alternative formats:
We wanted a way to help everyone dig into their own creativity to come up with access solutions, rather than seeing the removal of barriers as something only ‘experts’ can solve – and we wanted to make it playful as well as educational.
Unlimited aims to embed the work of disabled artists in the mainstream cultural sector. Thanks to funding from Arts Council England and British Council, Unlimited has been able to create resources to support this work internationally.
Jo Verrent, Senior Producer, Unlimited
Taking inspiration from gamification, the cards have taken over 18 months to develop. They’ve been trialled and tested around the world, including in Belgium, Ukraine, Singapore, Japan and China, to ensure they’re as simple and straightforward to use as possible.
So, what are Cards for Inclusion?
There are three sets of cards:
- WHAT: art or event or item
- WHERE: place or space or context
- BARRIER: thing that stops people from accessing
Each card has a simple word or phrase on it and a beautiful illustration by disabled artist Seohye Lee.
In small teams, groups are given a card from each set, for example:
WHAT: sculpture
WHERE: in a park
BARRIER: steps or uneven ground
The group has to discuss various solutions to overcome the barrier and ensure everyone can get to, engage with, and participate in the art or event or item in that location or circumstance. The more varied the group who discusses the situation, the more varied the solutions they can come up with.
Of course, things can get complicated very quickly as the cards are drawn at random! The example above was a simple one, but what about:
WHAT: an installation
WHERE: on a website
BARRIER: the attitude that ‘disability means you can’t do things’
So here a group might discuss: how you ensure access to the internet, website accessibility, how you can ensure user testing includes disabled people, how you can signal the fact that disabled people are very much welcomed and catered for within such a site, and how any promotion of the installation can carry the message that disabled people are equally able to participate. The group might also touch on promoting a wider ‘can do’ message through the artwork itself.
The BARRIER cards fall into three types:
- Those directly arising from the artwork itself or the environment it is in (such as ‘you need to look at it’, ‘you need to speak’, or ‘you need to be quiet’)
- Those that arise from negative attitudes or institutional discrimination (such as ‘disability = embarrassment’, ‘no money’, and ‘access is not a priority’)
- Internalised barriers, those arising from a lack of social or societal support (such as ‘low confidence’, ‘I don’t know who to contact’, or ‘I have no help’)
In our experience, most arts organisations only consider the first set (if they consider access at all), but to truly include disabled people, all three need to be addressed.
If we don’t change how disability is seen and the impacts of discrimination on disabled people, we won’t ever get to an equal situation.
A practical example of this would be putting on a BSL interpreted performance, but not reaching out directly to the local deaf BSL-using community (and just sending them an email doesn’t count).
Challenge yourself and think creatively!
We’re asking people who play to share solutions through with us on using #CardsForInclusion – enabling others to learn from your experiences.
So how can I get hold of a set?
Simple – anyone can download a PDF set below, print them, and cut them out!
Cartas por la Inclusión – new adaptation for Latin America
Cards for Inclusion has gone global with a new adaptation for Latin America!
Cartas por la Inclusión features brand new artwork by Tania Sánchez from México, Nemias Tanchiva from Perú, and Pedro Marrero from Venezuela.
Find out more on the Cartas por la Inclusión website.
Can I create my own version?
We’re very happy for you to create your own version. We know in some countries this has included adding the words translated into different languages.
Get in touch by email if you have any questions info@weareunlimited.org.uk or call/text 07506 679968.
Information for visually impaired people
The card game is designed for groups and contains very simple words and images to describe those words for those who prefer visual representation or for whom English is not their first language.
We’ve developed the cards over the last 18 months, including playing them with some visually impaired people present.
When we’ve played the game with visually impaired people in the past, the words on each card have been read out (which is usually the case for all groups playing, nor just for visually impaired people).
In response to suggestions from visually impaired people, we have made the cards large and the text clear, large, and in an easier to read font.
Cards for Inclusion first officially launched at the Festival of Change, part of the Museums Association’s annual conference in 2018. First published 30 October 2018. Last updated 26 July 2023.