Living with disabilities in a world not designed for our bodies, we must find and develop alternative strategies for navigating places and spaces. The summer school offers the participants time to develop their own artistic projects, as well as giving practical guidance. Through a series of workshops, we develop specific skills and knowledge to pursue higher education within the fields of architecture, art and design. Thus, we consider the experience of disabled people to be of great importance, offering critical and creative potential. By encouraging more people with disabilities to pursue such careers, we aim to diversify the respective fields. Simultaneously, we aim to uncover power structures and raise debate within the educational institutions concerning the urgent need for changes in societal attitudes. What conditions are required to enable such a turn, situating the disabled body at the center of professional and societal processes, rather than as a peripheral afterthought?

The summer school will serve as a platform for these types of perspectives, discourses and debates, emphasising their inherent complexity. For instance, we explore how blind and visually impaired individuals utilise sound and bright light to navigate spaces, while people experiencing fatigue could find such conditions to be problematic. The program will be formed in response to individual needs and functional variations, and is intended for those who are already pursuing relevant higher education or are interested in applying.

- Participate in a variety of workshops, lectures and creative tasks
- Receive an introduction to the fundamental principles of architecture and place making from instructors who themselves live with a disability
- Receive assistance in completing an architectural project that can be included as part of your portfolio for future educational pursuits
- Develop a better understanding and insight into various solutions that can improve the situation for people with disabilities in society, as well as to develop -and propose new solutions

- A professionally stimulating and social environment, with expertise from various professionals and collaborating organizations
- Full coverage of travel and accommodation expenses, including assistance if needed
- Practical and physical accommodations based on your needs, regardless of the type of disability you may have
- Free meals

The contributors:

Anna Ulrikke Andersen, the initiator and main responsible for the summer school. She is an architectural historian, filmmaker, and associate professor at NTNU. As a rheumatic, she has a passionate interest in the intersection of architecture and chronic illness.

Jos Boys, an author, architect, and activist from the United Kingdom. She has been in the vanguard for, and has led, a summer school in architecture for blind and visually impaired people at The Bartlett UCL. At ROM's summer school, Anna Ulrikke Andersen builds upon the radical ideas and experiences from that initiative.

Kari Kjelskau, a tattoo artist and project manager at The Sunnaas Foundation. She was introduced to VR-Art through a project with the foundation and uses art a means for pain relief.

Aidan Moesby, a British artist, curator, and writer who advocates for accessibility and inclusion in what he terms "Disability Arts." In 2021, he became the first curator with a disability to have a residency at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art.

Amy van der Hooven and Mia Bjørlykke, based in Bergen, actively work on developing safe spaces in the face of chronic illness. Through practical and creative exercises, participants will gain insight into ways of transforming physical and emotional pain through artistic methods.

The project is part of the ROM UNG program and receives generous support from The Department of Art and Media Studies at NTNU, Kulturrådet, The Municipality of Oslo, Sparebankstiftelsen DNB, Stiftelsen Sophies Minde