Creatives Step Up: Building Pathways for Learning Disabled Artists - a Case Study

Josephine Reichert, Project Manager, January 2026

Creatives Step Up is Athac’s supported professional development programme for autistic and learning disabled artists from Handsworth, wider Birmingham and Sandwell areas. The programme responds directly to a stark reality: meaningful work, volunteering and professional development opportunities in the arts remain severely limited for artists with complex needs.

Rather than waiting for opportunities that rarely materialise, Creatives Step Up takes a proactive approach by creating the conditions for access, growth and professional recognition, while supporting partner organisations to develop best practice in inclusive, care-centred working.

Working with a cohort of five young artists, Creatives Step Up combines long-term mentoring, practical placements, exhibitions and family workshops. The result is a model that supports artists to find their own voice, build confidence and ambition, and step into the arts industry on their own terms.

Creating Access Where It Doesn’t Yet Exist

Many arts organisations want to be inclusive but lack the confidence, resources or experience to support artists with complex needs. Creatives Step Up addresses this gap by building placements from the ground up, supported by a freelance artist support worker who enables travel, liaises with families, and ensures safeguarding, feedback and continuity of care.

Where external placements are not possible, Athac guarantees opportunities by creating its own, including SEND-friendly workshops for local families, which artists initially shadow and later lead as part of their professional development. This ensures that access is not dependent on goodwill alone, but embedded into the structure of the programme.

Artist Journeys

Ryan Choon

Mentor: Ashokkumar Mistry

Over the course of the programme, Ryan has begun to take clear ownership of his artistic development. Through supported site visits, including research trips to Leicester, visiting Studios and the Botanical Gardens, Ryan developed new work that combines painting and drawing in bold, expressive ways. His richly coloured surfaces and intricate drawn elements articulate a strong internal visual language.

As Ryan’s confidence has grown, so has his ability to reason through scale, composition and process. With targeted, practical support, such as planning the order of painted elements and managing drying time, Ryan is now working with greater independence and fewer technical barriers.

The next stage of Ryan’s journey focuses on professional presentation and visibility: framing, writing about his work without overriding his voice, and developing a repertoire of forms drawn from his own photographic observations. These steps position Ryan not just as a participant, but as the professional artist he is.

Mehar Khan

Mentor: Fae Kilburn

Mehar’s mentoring has focused on professional development and artistic decision-making. She has learned how to select work for exhibitions, sign and frame it, and make confident choices about display and orientation. This process marked an important shift, from making work to curating and presenting it with intention.

Mehar now consistently titles her work, records dates and materials, and updates her online presence independently. She has also deepened her marbling practice, learning when to edit and refine rather than show everything she produces.

A particularly powerful moment came when Mehar saw college students create work inspired by her own. Seeing her practice reflected back by others reinforced her sense of artistic value and impact - a crucial step in building confidence and ambition.

Alongside her artistic development, Mehar has enjoyed herself as a volunteer. She support family workshops at Ort Gallery led by Sam Krankpod. She works diligently with materials and support the sessions running smoothly. With tailored support from support worker Dani, volunteering has increased her confidence, is building her skills and offers opportunities for future leadership.

Safina Hector

Mentor: Rachael

At the start of the programme, Safina set clear goals: to build an online presence, develop a photographic practice, explore professional opportunities and grow in confidence and communication. By the end of the year 2025, Safina had achieved all of them.

She now maintains a strong digital presence, confidently uploads and promotes her work, and uses social media strategically to reach wider audiences. Her photography practice spans macro, landscape and portrait work, and she has exhibited in multiple venues, entered competitions and volunteered with creative organisations.

Perhaps most significantly, Safina’s confidence has transformed. She now speaks clearly about her work, understands her influences, and demonstrates a strong and emerging artistic voice. Her journey reflects what sustained, relational mentoring can make possible when access needs are centred rather than sidelined.

Alongside her artistic development, Safina has taken up two volunteering roles with National Trust. She has been working with the marketing team to take pictures of Clent Hills and urban Blossoms as well as creating an access guide for Clent Hills. She is a hard worker and committed to learning and improving. Volunteering has increased her confidence and upskilled her in marketing techniques which she applies readily to her online presence.

Janae Dryden

Mentor: Rosemary Williams

Janae’s mentoring focused on supporting her transition into higher education and the music industry. Together with her mentor, she researched university pathways, UCAS applications, scholarships, travel logistics and music technology courses, ensuring that decisions were informed rather than overwhelming.

Alongside this, Janae developed her understanding of music distribution, learning how to release work professionally using platforms such as RouteNote and DistroKid, and how to build audiences through tools like Spotify for Artists.

These sessions have equipped Janae with practical knowledge, confidence and agency, enabling her to make strategic decisions about her future, whether that means starting university, applying for scholarships, or building her practice independently.

Renée Parkes

Mentor: Sam Krankpod

Renée’s mentoring centred on deepening her relationship with materials and inspiration. Through site visits, photography and drawing, Renée began building her own visual bank, supporting greater independence and authorship in her work.

A key development has been identifying polymer clay as a specialism, supported by drawing and painting. While challenging, clay has enabled Renée to tell more complex stories about her experiences and ideas.

Alongside her artistic development, Renée has excelled as a volunteer. She works thoughtfully with both small and large groups and brings care and attentiveness to shared creative spaces. With the right support, volunteering has become a pathway for confidence, skill-building and future leadership.

Exhibitions, Community & Legacy

The Creatives Step Up project 2025 culminated in a public exhibition at The Hive in autumn 2025. The show was a professional display of all 5 artists’ artwork drawing an interested and committed audience. Using an accessible venue, the programme included large-print text, audio description, a digital walkthrough, and multi-sensory elements such as tactile work and smell. Any behaviour was welcomed.

The exhibition not only elevated the professionalism of the artists’ work, but also showed the local autism and learning disability community what is possible when artists are properly supported to thrive.

Each artist leaves the programme with an e-portfolio, expanded networks, and a clearer sense of future direction. Partners leave with increased confidence, improved policies and a deeper understanding of inclusive practice.

A Model for Change

Creatives Step Up demonstrates that when access is designed with care, time and trust, artists with complex needs do not just participate, they lead, inspire and shape the sector.

This project is not only about individual outcomes, but about building a model that can be rolled out across the arts industry, one that replaces barriers with tailored support and relationships, and exclusion with possibility, agency and ambition.