Black, Indigenous, and Disability Justice (BIDJ) communities have been leaders in developing ethical, community-centered approaches to technology that emphasize accessibility, care, and cultural well-being. As digital technologies increasingly shape our world, it is essential for arts organizations and collectives to support these communities by respecting and learning from their cultural knowledge protocols.

This beginner workshop delves into Black, Indigenous, and Disability Justice (BIDJ) perspectives on knowledge stewardship in artistic-cultural contexts. This beginner workshop delves into Black, Indigenous, and Disability Justice (BIDJ) perspectives on knowledge stewardship in artistic-cultural contexts. Aimed at artists and arts workers, it offers both foundational theory and practical tools for creating community-driven and intercultural knowledge stewardship protocols. Participants will leave with strategies for creating safer, community-centered digital environments, rooted in justice and care. This session is designed as a starting point, with the hope that it will lead to continued efforts in supporting BIDJ-informed approaches to digital knowledge and data stewardship.

This event is part of a three-part series. Visit the other workshops below:

Intersectional Tech Futures: Foregrounding Black, Indigenous, and Disability Justice Perspectives on Tech Literacy & Accessibility

Reducing Harm in New Media: An Intersectional Exploration of Digital Community Protocols

Program/Project Context

This workshop is the first test of a prototype resource package developed as part of Terra Firma, a one-year project focused on strengthening the relationships between arts organizations and BIDJ-centered communities through ethical and accessible technological practices. The resource package is designed as an open-source, reusable lesson plan to help others teach workshops that build on BIDJ knowledge in digital and technological contexts.

It’s important to note that this workshop and its resource package are not intended to be a primary source of information about BIDJ communities. Instead, they focus on sharing knowledge that these communities have specifically chosen to make available to outsiders, while respecting that some insights are meant to remain protected. This workshop is a starting point for raising awareness and fostering support for BIDJ-informed digital stewardship. We encourage participants and facilitators to engage directly with these communities for deeper understanding and meaningful collaboration.

About the Facilitator

Belinda Kwan (she/they) is a disabled East Asian settler and arts worker based in Tkaronto. She is the Research and Development Manager at InterAccess and the project lead of Terra Firma.

Accessibility Information

ASL, CART captioning, and notetaking will be available for this event. For additional accessibility requests, please email development@interaccess.org.

Funding & Partnership Information

This project is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, Mitacs, and Cultural Human Resources Council, and is presented in partnership with InterAccess, FEZIHAUS, and Tangled Art + Disability.