Equity, Diversity, Inclusion – Lou adds Access – EDIA. It’s better when it’s inherent in everything we do.

Lou has been involved in the design, development and delivery of inclusive and accessible ways of working since 2009. Understanding intersectionality Lou explores EDIA through the layers of lived experiences which interact and compound how we live, construct and move through the world in relation to others. With her starting point towards ableism and disablism, Lou works with others to develop and clarify their attitudes and actions with care and boldness; where experiences of everyday difference can belong & shape new ways thinking and being.

“We particularly appreciate Lou’s ability to bring models of thought from her many areas of expertise (performance, Feldenkrais and counselling) and well as insights from lived experience, to give us ‘ways in’ to complex subject matter. She asks difficult questions with compassion, demanding intellectual rigour and authenticity in an area that is so often reduced to tokenism” Fast Familiar

Working in the mainstream and disability dance and theatre sectors, counselling and the international Feldenkrais community, Lou work with originality, playfulness and sensitivity. She inspires and challenges in equal measure, bringing the best out of people.  She work collaboratively and can offer consultancy, teaching, troubleshooting, depending on need. Lou’s key facilitation skills are:

Creating space to explore practice around inclusion and access through:

Focused sessions that work with your practice to create optimal inclusive and accessible environments – from ½ day to full day workshops and longer residencies. The sessions are responsive and designed around your specific questions and ideas.

Speaking and facilitation around soft skills, attitudes and nuances of what inclusion and access is, what it means, and for who. Lou works with understanding the importance of language in everyday practices.

Developing soft skills, attitudes and nuances of inclusion

Individuals | Therapists | Practitioners | Creatives

Holding space for exploring intersectionality within lived experiences

Working collaboratively to develop understanding of ableism within lived experiences and social constructs.

Making space with people who get stuck, or need support to move through environmental barriers and barriers within themselves so they can thrive.

Workshops and residences inviting people to embed best practices and access into their thinking and work places.

Organisations | Facilitators | Tutors | Managers

Individual conversations to demystify what access and inclusion is within their particular situation.

Holding space for exploring how to anticipate needs of others (employees, students, team members)

Supporting individuals to navigate difficult conversations they encounter around ableism, access and inclusion

Developing actions to making their work more inclusive.

Developing approachable attitudes around inclusion and access.

“We really appreciated your generosity, and found your intervention so interesting and pertinent, it really seemed to resonate with many of the participants (including ONDA and British Council). It left us thinking how ill-equipped we are in a big machine of an institution to accommodate or open up that liminal space which is so vital, and what we can do about it. Thank you for sharing some of your journey, experience and thoughts about all of this.” Head of Arts, British Council France.

Previous work & organisations

British Council France & UK, Fast Familiar, International Feldenkrais Federation, We Are Epic (a CIC in association with Epic Arts, Cambodia), Dan Daw Creative Projects, many individual creatives and facilitators. My work covers:

  • Mentoring of the development of Access Docs for Artists website
  • Conversations around individual practices shaping the collective voice.
  • Where does (dis)ability and chronic illness sit within individual and an organisational practice
  • Development of access documents, how much to reveal and when?  
  • Provocations on: What is inclusion? What does inclusion feel and look like for new initiatives
  • Shaping best practice around inclusion and access within the structure organisations
  • Co-development of the inclusive working
  • Inputing into policies and procedures in conjunction with organisation Boards
  • Co-developing of Administration Traineeship
  • Co-mentored trainees, and worked with them to develop further ways to support people identifying within LGBTQI+, D/disabled communities.
  • Facilitating organisational development events and trainings in a open, accessible professional  manner 

With We Are Epic Lou produced and was an artistic collaborator for Buffalo Boy, an international collaboration with Epic Arts in Cambodia.