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Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Access; threads of belonging

Lou is interested in what happens when inclusion excludes, and being exclusive includes. How individuals and organisation can create simple anticipatory welcomes based on layers of lived identities, otherness and difference to go beyond the simplicities of access and inclusion.

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.

Working in the mainstream, inclusive and disability dance and theatre sectors, counselling, creative health supporting social prescribing (charity and NHS), 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 works collaboratively and can offer consultancy, teaching, troubleshooting, depending on need.

Facilitation

Focused sessions that work with your practice to create optimal inclusive and accessible environments – from half 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 equity, inclusion and access is, what it means, and for who. Lou works with understanding the importance of language in everyday practices.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Lou is active on EDI boards and working groups in the therapy training field. In these roles she has co-developed responsive practices in relation to disability which have been successfully implemented. 

    She has experience in creative and social prescribing developing accessible creative outdoor projects for NHS patients with artists and NHS staff.

    With Feldenkrais Guild UK and international groups Lou wrote EDI statements and protocols that focused on continual learning through lived cultural and historical sensitivities. 

    Lou has worked with:

    British Council France & UK, counselling organisations and individual therapists, Feldenkrais Guild UK and International Feldenkrais Federation, Hera project, Fast Familiar, Epic Arts (Cambodia) and We Are Epic (UK), Dan Daw Creative Projects, many companies and individual facilitators. Previous Lou has:

    • Shaped best practice around intersectional inclusion and access within the structure organisations

    • Co-developed meaningful inclusive working practice to suit needs 

    • Inputed into policies and procedures in conjunction with organisation Boards

    • Co-mentored trainees, working with them to develop further ways to support people identifying within LGBTQIA+, D/disabled communities.

    • Facilitated organisational development events and trainings

    • Held conversations around individual disability practices shaping the collective voice.

    • Questioned where does disability and chronic illness sit in organisational practice

    • Developed inclusive intersectional access documents, how much to reveal and when?  

    • Led intersectional provocations on: What is inclusion? What does inclusion feel and look like for new initiatives

    • Mentored the development of Access Docs for Artists website

Four women in a dimly lit, colorful room with vibrant, neon lighting. One woman is standing in the middle, gesturing with her hands, possibly explaining something, while the others listen. The background has a large circular, reflective or tunnel-like structure, and the floor has scattered items and reflective surfaces.
Contact Me
Group of people sitting on the floor in a circle, participating in a discussion or workshop, with a woman in a black outfit sitting on an office chair, and other items like water bottle, papers, and mats on the floor.

  • “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

  • “We found your intervention so interesting and pertinent, it really seemed to resonate with many of the participants. 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."

    Head of Arts, British Council France.

  • “Your approach is refreshing & you helped us think about how we can own our access needs”

    Artist Collective, Wysing Arts Centre