Unraveling Deb's Dribble!

2017 Restructuring

Some are confused by my restricting of my brand name Artisability. I have decided that Ignite Artists is another product that I can offer the Ipswich community. I just want to reaffirm that ARTisability is a arts based program. We have and only will ever offer art based activities.

My personal passion is to assist artists living with disability to access their local community. Those seeking enjoyment or thearphic value from making art, can joying a host of art and craft groups across the Ipswich Region and beyond. Often advertised on Artisabilities facebook page and our newsletter. 

For those living with disabilities there are a number of support services that offer art based programs including AfterCare, CATS inc, ALARA Queensland, CPL, FOCAL community living, Florence and many more.  There are now are now support service programs across a range of artic abilities, from the curious dabbler to professionals working in support art studios (CATS inc & CPL Springfield Studio).

As we know the NDIS changes the landscape of support services as we move to an industry driven by market demand.  The NDIS should open up new players and new services and I hope the includes the arts in Ipswich.

ARTisability will still offer visual arts workshops that are purchased by others such as the Ipswich City Council. Ignite Artists seeks to service professional artists living in the Ipswich region and beyond.  The  Ignite Artists 'arm' of ARTisability is strictly for those working as professional artists and is for artists will all abilities.

Over time we seek to be able to assists those working in the 'arts' in Ipswich to collaborate with other disciplines, for example connecting visual artists with writers. We are deliberately moving away from the disability sector in own endeavour to be seen as artists in own right. 

Please assist us to deliver the message that we are not a disability support provider and our services are for all artists! We are not delivering to market expectation because of a large amount of miss information being circulated by those running their own agendas.   

The NDIS will impact on our delivery of service at ARTisability, due to my passion to assist others in writing their NDIS plans and my desire to inspire other people to take up leadership roles to ensure successful transition to a inclusive community.

We will not deliver programs under the NDIS.  Education and training - which is where our program rightful sits, remains a grey area for funding under the NDIS.  The NDIS will only pay for supports relating to your disability. e.g teacher aids and support workers not the costs of training itself.

Right now I do not see we are eligible to supply services to artists living with disabilities under the NDIS due to the nature of our role. If that changes I will let you know.

Any information I offer on the NDIS and Ignite Artists Fact Sheets are strictly for those needing to write plans to ensure they are given support at the correct level of their artists ability.  Our 2017 Mentorship is the only program on the drawing board. I have shared extensively on what that entails over the last few weeks.  I also have fact sheets available on request.

If you want more information

Come to the mentoring game information session today at 5:30 hosted by Ipswich Arttime Supplies.

For more information on the NDIS and peer support

QDN peer support group meet on the third Saturday of the month

The next meeting is Saturday 17th September 10 am to noon floor 1 in the cafeteria of the Humanity Buildings, South St Ipswich.

Hope this unravels some confusion.