Since summer 2020, our art tutor Tracy has been delivering workshops to the National Autistic Society‘s (NAS) adult craft group. Meeting digitally, Tracy worked with the group using Microsoft Teams. Despite remote working and other pandemic challenges, Tracy developed great relationships with all of the participants.
Tracy designed simple activities that use basic materials. This ensured that the activities were living-room-friendly and the group remained accessible to everyone. The group kept on growing, with up to 18 adults now logging on to take part in these creative sessions – some join to watch Tracy’s demonstrations whilst others craft along with the group!
‘We have all experienced such an unknown and uncertain time, but there has certainly been some fantastic unexpected positive aspects to the whole situation and the new relationships that I have forged with the participants at NAS has certainly been one of them!
When I started to deliver visual art workshops in this remote way, I was unsure that I would be able to connect and support the people that I was working with, but the results have been truly incredible. It’s amazing to think that I haven’t actually met many of these participants in the flesh and yet I feel like I know them all really well now.
Everyone’s commitment to the sessions has been remarkable, with participants engaging in their own way and sharing the work that they have been producing not only during our sessions, but in their own time over the weeks too. Creatively, the sessions have been a fantastic success, but over and above this, this opportunity to stay connected while we all have to stay so apart has been an absolute tonic for us all.’ – Tracy Gorman, Project Ability tutor
Tracy continues to meet with the NAS adult craft group weekly, and now also delivers sessions to their youth crafting group.
