Printmaking | Flottacat

#Make The NHS Accessible

This project was my part of my uni work, I spent 6 weeks on it during my 2nd year of uni. My project was a social awareness campaign that talked about the inaccessibility of the NHS for disabled people. I was doing a printmaking block, where I got to try out a range of techniques - I chose to do Lino cutting to create all the images and the typography. The project was entirely self directed, so I made all the decisions about what to make and how I did it.

- Survey to collect data/first hand accounts on NHS accessibility

- 8 posters

- Printable template for 'access cards' to place in hospitals

- 1 Min instagram reel to explain access cards

- A hand carved Lino print font

- 1 Min animation to introduce the project

- 8 slide presentation to introduce the project

The Prints

This block at uni involved a printmaking workshop where I tried a range of techniques and eventually decided to focus on Lino prints, I produced a large amount of prints for this.

Technique: Lino Print

Medium: Oil based Ink on paper

Subject: My wheelchair

This print is based off my personal wheelchair, which is actually a similar colour blue to the ink used here.

The Posters

Each poster features a story from a disabled person about their personal experiences of disabled access in the NHS. The type on the poster is my own font from hand carved letter and each illustration was carved, printed and then scanned to make the poster. Click on an image to read the story as plain text.

When I was taken into A&E by ambulance, I was transferred on a stretcher and my personal chair was taken away as they wouldn't let me keep it next to my bed. I was in urgent care for 3 days without access to my own wheelchair that I could self propell and had to ask to be taken to the toilet which was particularly hard over night when calling a nurse would often take nearly 30 minutes for a response. It took a couple of hours to find my wheelchair when I was discharged, as no one on the ward knew where it had been moved as they hadnt made a note of it. The back had been damaged by the way they stored it, and I had to take it into repairs afterwards. The part didn't come for over 2 weeks, and I was trapped inside until it was fixed.

I went to A&E in an ambulance due to seizures, and my wheelchair didn't come with me. I was too ill to advocate for it and nobody thought to fold it up and put it in the ambulance. This meant that I couldn't navigate to the bathroom etc without help, and when I eventually did get a nurse to help me to the bathroom (she was lovely, but A&E was absolutely rammed), the fact that I'd walked with assistance down the corridor was used as a reason to shift me from a trolley to a chair. I was too sick to sit up in the chair (may have been easier in my supportive wheelchair) so I ended up on the floor. When I was discharged I had to have someone come and get me as I was unable to walk as far as the taxi rank by myself.

As a patient visiting an outpatient clinic, the reception desk for my maxillofacial is up three stairs, I am therefore left to shout to the receptionist to meet me at an alternative entrance to let me in. The first time I went I was confused re access and did not know to do this. I was left shouting for help with the receptionist telling me 'just come to the desk'. I informed them I was a wheelchair user via shouting as I could not see the desk, and they didn't know of the alternative access route. They had to get a senior colleague.

I am a wheelchair user and I was forced to have an indwelling catheter inserted (plastic tube/bag placed up urethra to empty bladder) due to the ward not having a wheelchair accessible bathroom that I could safely use. There was no actual medical reason for the catheter and it caused a lot of pain, muscle spasms and a bad UTI. This was ontop of me recovering from major surgery - which was completely unrelated with my bladder. This was a more extreme case but so many wards do not actually have disabled toilets.

Sodexo, the company contracted to provide meals at my hospital does not list or inform their staff about any of the ingredients or allergens in their standard meals. I had no idea if it was safe for me to eat or not. They did have allergy menus but this was very restricted and only applied to dinner (not lunch or breakfast). When ordering from their 'allergy friendly' menu, the only options were various caseroles. But even my choice of 6 different (milk-free) caseroles was restricted by the fact they only had chicken casserole in as they don't bother to order in multiple options for people with allergens.

After an endoscopy under General anaesthetic, I asked for my mum to be allowed in from the waiting room, she’s my advocate and I strongly needed her. They refused to call her until I was ready to go, even though I was in tears asking for her as I was so overwhelmed. I ended up having to get my bag down, whilst still groggy from GA, and call her myself before they’d let her in. I’m 21, with a known history of PTSD, largely from medical places, and they still tried to refuse me my advocate.

When going to see rheumatology services (muscles/joins) either to see the rheumatologist, or the rheumatology specialist nurses. They have not once had a mask on. Despite knowing that I'm clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID, I was a shielder, and they know exactly which immunosuppressantI am on - which is one of the big ones for making you CEV. I will go there wearing a mask and even seeing it this, they don't offer first to put one on. Ever. Not once.

I was an Inpatient on an NHS psychiatric ward for eating disorders due to atypical Anorexia. I am Deaf and lipread, I do not sign. Communication was near impossible throughout my extended stay of 14 months, this is because of staff wearing facemasks but no clear masks/visors because “too expensive”, with the cost overriding my needs. The also had a lack of basic deaf awareness and respect such as saying “she should have heard” when missing a shouted call.

When I was taken into A&E by ambulance, I was transferred on a stretcher and my personal chair was taken away as they wouldn't let me keep it next to my bed. I was in urgent care for 3 days without access to my own wheelchair that I could self propell and had to ask to be taken to the toilet which was particularly hard over night when calling a nurse would often take nearly 30 minutes for a response. It took a couple of hours to find my wheelchair when I was discharged, as no one on the ward knew where it had been moved as they hadnt made a note of it. The back had been damaged by the way they stored it, and I had to take it into repairs afterwards. The part didn't come for over 2 weeks, and I was trapped inside until it was fixed.

I went to A&E in an ambulance due to seizures, and my wheelchair didn't come with me. I was too ill to advocate for it and nobody thought to fold it up and put it in the ambulance. This meant that I couldn't navigate to the bathroom etc without help, and when I eventually did get a nurse to help me to the bathroom (she was lovely, but A&E was absolutely rammed), the fact that I'd walked with assistance down the corridor was used as a reason to shift me from a trolley to a chair. I was too sick to sit up in the chair (may have been easier in my supportive wheelchair) so I ended up on the floor. When I was discharged I had to have someone come and get me as I was unable to walk as far as the taxi rank by myself.

As a patient visiting an outpatient clinic, the reception desk for my maxillofacial is up three stairs, I am therefore left to shout to the receptionist to meet me at an alternative entrance to let me in. The first time I went I was confused re access and did not know to do this. I was left shouting for help with the receptionist telling me 'just come to the desk'. I informed them I was a wheelchair user via shouting as I could not see the desk, and they didn't know of the alternative access route. They had to get a senior colleague.

I am a wheelchair user and I was forced to have an indwelling catheter inserted (plastic tube/bag placed up urethra to empty bladder) due to the ward not having a wheelchair accessible bathroom that I could safely use. There was no actual medical reason for the catheter and it caused a lot of pain, muscle spasms and a bad UTI. This was ontop of me recovering from major surgery - which was completely unrelated with my bladder. This was a more extreme case but so many wards do not actually have disabled toilets.

Sodexo, the company contracted to provide meals at my hospital does not list or inform their staff about any of the ingredients or allergens in their standard meals. I had no idea if it was safe for me to eat or not. They did have allergy menus but this was very restricted and only applied to dinner (not lunch or breakfast). When ordering from their 'allergy friendly' menu, the only options were various caseroles. But even my choice of 6 different (milk-free) caseroles was restricted by the fact they only had chicken casserole in as they don't bother to order in multiple options for people with allergens.

After an endoscopy under General anaesthetic, I asked for my mum to be allowed in from the waiting room, she’s my advocate and I strongly needed her. They refused to call her until I was ready to go, even though I was in tears asking for her as I was so overwhelmed. I ended up having to get my bag down, whilst still groggy from GA, and call her myself before they’d let her in. I’m 21, with a known history of PTSD, largely from medical places, and they still tried to refuse me my advocate.

When going to see rheumatology services (muscles/joins) either to see the rheumatologist, or the rheumatology specialist nurses. They have not once had a mask on. Despite knowing that I'm clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID, I was a shielder, and they know exactly which immunosuppressantI am on - which is one of the big ones for making you CEV. I will go there wearing a mask and even seeing it this, they don't offer first to put one on. Ever. Not once.

I was an Inpatient on an NHS psychiatric ward for eating disorders due to atypical Anorexia. I am Deaf and lipread, I do not sign. Communication was near impossible throughout my extended stay of 14 months, this is because of staff wearing facemasks but no clear masks/visors because “too expensive”, with the cost overriding my needs. The also had a lack of basic deaf awareness and respect such as saying “she should have heard” when missing a shouted call.

The Font

I used online font making software to convert my physical typography into an actual font. These slides show the process of that.

Access Tags

I created 'Access Tags' to directly point out access issues in the real world, they are a physical item that people can print/make at home and leave in places with bad access.

The Printable 'Access cards' template and instructions.

Download the PDF

The Printable 'Access cards' after being made and put up in disabled toilets

An instagram reel showing how to create the access cards.

Animation

This is a short animation done on After Effects to introduce the project, which included animating some of my Lino prints.

Presentation Slides

The presentation slides are to give an overview of the project and me as an artist. These 8 slides were created in InDesign using the same visual language as the rest of the project.