Design and Disability exhibition at the V&A: Collaboration, community, and impact

On June 7th, the Design and Disability exhibition opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in South Kensington in London. Tilting the Lens have been engaged with this project for a number of months, as we worked alongside curators, marketeers, senior leaders and partners to bring this to life.

Firstly, we would like to congratulate Natalie Kane, the Lead Curator of the exhibition, as well as Shannon Nash, Phoebe Moore, and the wider team who worked diligently on this project, along with the extraordinary creatives and designers whose work is showcased in the exhibition.  

Developing a disability-centred exhibition goes beyond design and curation; it relies on listening, collaboration, vulnerability, and trust. From the ideation stage, this project adopted a community-led approach, recognising that the most valuable insights, ideas, and creative guidance would emerge from individuals with lived experiences of disability. 

The team, led by Natalie Kane, meaningfully engaged Disabled artists, designers, and advocates, to create an exhibition that features a wide range of voices, challenges existing assumptions, and encourages open conversations. This is not just an exhibition but a collective journey of learning, respect, and co-creation.

Championing Disabled creatives

At Tilting the Lens, we hosted webinars featuring two key figures from the V&A’s Design and Disability exhibition. 

In January, Natalie Kane joined a conversation with Siddhant Shah, a notable disability advocate and influential member of the accessible arts community in India. During this conversation, Emma Shaw, who leads on Community and Impact at Tilting the Lens, facilitated a thoughtful discussion about what accessibility and inclusion in the arts and culture sectors means.

Watch our January webinar on YouTube with Natalie and Siddhant. 

Then in March, multidisciplinary artist Fin Shannon was interviewed by our CEO and founder, Sinéad Burke. Fin is known for exploring access and challenging ableist structures through humour, sincerity, and sometimes anger. The V&A commissioned Fin to create the opening artwork for Design and Disability. A striking bench from the series, “Do you want us here or not?”. The pieces draw attention to the lack of seating in arts and cultural venues and question the commitment of these institutions to accessibility.

Watch our March Webinar on YouTube with Fin Shannon. 

Our webinars are free and accessible. For us, they are opportunities to open-source our learning and knowledge, and spotlight Disabled voices. The conversations with Fin, Natalie, and Siddhant emphasised how important it is to work closely with Disabled creatives. Unique perspectives and lived experiences bring value, insight and innovation. By creating space for Disabled voices to lead, we develop projects, processes and infrastructure that is more creative, insightful, and welcoming for everyone.

Our role in training and communications

In May, before the exhibition’s opening, we partnered with Natalie, Shannon, and Phoebe from the V&A, to support communication and press strategies. 

We delivered accessible and inclusive media training to Natalie on interview skills and techniques. It was an opportunity to share potential narrative arcs, media positioning, and create space for reflection on Natalie’s curatorial work. Emma Shaw, who oversees Community and Impact at Tilting the Lens, contributed press strategy themes and considerations for accessibility and disability inclusion in wider communications. 

Our role was one part in a very significant process, but we are proud to have contributed to an exhibition that furthers the movement of disability artistry.

Attending the opening

On June 4th 2025, we attended the opening of the exhibition in Kensington. It was an uplifting gathering for the Disabled community. We enjoyed catching up with friends from Intoart, like artists Ntiense Eno-Amooquaye and Christian Ovonlen, whose works proudly take centre stage in the exhibit. Fin Shannon’s beautiful bench opened the show (everyone at Tilting the Lens would secretly love to have it), and the artist’s warm engagement with visitors made the experience even more special.

We took a moment to reflect on previous Tilting the Lens projects that were featured in the exhibition. The British Vogue May 2023 issue, which focused on disability and featured cover stars Justina Miles, Ellie Goldstein, and our CEO, Sinéad Burke, was proudly displayed. We were also delighted to see the first-ever Braille issue of British Vogue, on display.

Moving to the fashion and adaptive garments section, a leopard print dress by Kathy D. Woods was displayed on a mannequin modelled after Sinéad Burke. 

One of our highlights was a woven tapestry, POWER OFF by the American textile artist Qualeasha Wood. It’s breathtaking in person and pictures do not do it justice. Wood became one of the youngest artists to have works shown in, and acquired by, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

It was an evening filled with pride and reflection. While many wonderful pieces of art and work are showcased, we recognise there are  always many who remain absent. In times when people’s identities are continually challenged or ignored entirely by governments and society, reflecting on past advocacy and protest reminds us of resilience and continues to motivate us for the present and future. 

Looking to the future

We want to emphasise that this exhibition embodies Disabled brilliance, creativity, passion, and joy. A personal experience that can ignite the soul. This should inspire the start of many more exhibitions like this, ensuring that Disabled narratives are regularly included and centred in cultural spaces everywhere. Not just sometimes. 

The exhibition is thoughtfully designed, accessible, and visually striking – a symbol for change. We encourage everyone to visit, to bring their colleagues, friends and family to learn from it. To host and have conversations about disability and accessibility, and make a conscious effort to include Disabled artists, thinkers, writers, and creators within our communities. 

The exhibition is open until February 2026, but its impact will live on.