We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the Radical Therapist Network’s first Hedge School programme in collaboration with Lumos Transforms.

This 12-week programme provides an in-depth exploration of anti-ableism as an integral part of an anti-oppressive practice. The curriculum has been lovingly weaved together using frameworks in disability justice, crip theory, anti-racism, abolitionist praxis, decoloniality, politicised somatics and the Resilience Toolkit.

Each week you’ll be guided through themes exploring the historical, political and social manufacturing of disability, internalised ableism and complicity, grief, our relationship to care, accessibility in practice, access intimacy, mutual aid, and building embodied capacity and wisdom. We’ll be using a blend of seminars, embodied practices and reflective group work to build our collective capacity to provide liberatory care in the cultural and political landscapes that we live and work within. 

You’ll also receive a bespoke programme handbook to accompany you throughout your journey to help synthesise and deepen your learning. It includes key information about the programme, reflective prompts for each session, written and creative journal space and further resources. 

Following this programme you’ll be invited to deepen your praxis with the opportunity to join Radical Therapist Network’s Playground*. Here you’ll have the opportunity to put your learning into practice alongside wider community who are rehearsing mutual aid strategies and testing out the development of alternative care models for collective healing and liberation. 

Aims

This programme aims to enable people to build readiness and skill for anti-ableist practice by:

a) contextualising the political nature of disability

b) addressing how ableism shows up harm in our work and movements

c) processing and being accountable for our own process and relationship to disability

d) providing alternatives using DJ theory and narratives.

Who can apply?

This programme is for you if: 

• You provide care in your work, community or relationships

• You are new to disability justice theory and frameworks 

• You want to move away from capitalist, carceral and colonial care practices

• You want to build the capacity to unlearn ableism

• You already have an evolving anti-oppressive praxis

• You want to begin to process your internalised ableism, and the ways that it shows up relationally in your work

• You would benefit from a reflective peer space to process and support embodied learning

• You want to be compassionately held in an accountable and mutually challenging space

This programme is open to anyone that provides care as part of their work. 

We’re using the term care workers as an umbrella term to describe any person who provides a form of care either in a personal, professional or community context. This might include, but isn’t limited to: therapists, youth workers, organisers, healthcare staff, educators, facilitators, cultural and community workers. We welcome people from all backgrounds but will prioritise multiply marginalised people, especially disabled people and people of the global majority. 

If you’re unsure if you can apply, please email radicaltherapistnetwork@gmail.com

Application Process

To find out more and to apply please read our Programme Overview.

Applications close on Monday 8th June at 10:00 BST.

This programme is supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.