Rachel Singer’s Puppetry and Disability Culture Workshop: Practitioners of Being and Becoming

Rachel Singer (she/her/hers), a multidisciplinary artist, teaching artist, and certified occupational therapy assistant, was a  3Arts/Bodies of Work (BOW) Artist in Residence in Fall 2024. She led a Tabletop Puppetry and Disability Culture Workshop on November 15th, 2024. This workshop explored what it means to be a “Practitioner of Being and Becoming.”

Rachel began the workshop by discussing how her background in puppetry, sensory theater, physical theater, and dance, combined with her skills as an occupational therapy assistant, shapes her creative practice. She highlighted the influence of Alison Kafer’s work in Feminist, Queer, Crip (2013), on the political/relational model of disability, which informs her approach to her artistic expression. Rachel’s work centers around engaging in imaginative practices and the creative process individually and in community spaces. Workshop attendees from various backgrounds, such as practitioners and artists, came together into a space that Rachel curated to foster collaboration through imagining and creative exploration. 

To begin this process, Rachel asked the group to explore the space to connect with one another. A connection was further fostered when Rachel led the group through individual and unified breathing exercises. Attendees broke off into small groups with those they were not already acquainted with. Each attendee operated a different part of the paper puppet—one person controlling the head and arm, another handling the hips and other arm, a third managing the legs, while the fourth played the role of director, guiding lighting and movement. This exercise was both playful and challenging, requiring participants to sync their movements and work together to transform their puppet into a lifelike character. The hands-on part of the workshop was directed by Rachel which ensured that attendees did not need any prior puppetry or performance experience. By fostering an inclusive environment, Rachel emphasized her central idea of the workshop, that everyone is a practitioner of being and becoming through creating a place for performing that is open to all. 

Attendees reflected on their workshop experience at the end through questions asked by Rachel. These reflections highlighted the nature of this shared experience, with participants expressing an appreciation for collaborative efforts in a non-traditional context. One attendee, an occupational therapy practitioner, noted that at the beginning of the workshop, they initially felt nervous about entering a disability arts space. During their reflection, they elaborated on how the small group activity allowed them to redirect their focus away from themselves toward collaborative creation with their group members. This shift exemplified Rachel’s goal of fostering spaces where participants can engage creatively without the hierarchical dynamics often imposed by the medical model of disability.

As a former applied behavior analysis practitioner newly introduced to disability arts and culture, this workshop was eye-opening in demonstrating how artistic practice can dismantle barriers, foster connections, and create spaces for mutual growth. Personally, the workshop underscored the potential for bridging gaps between practitioners and the disability community by centering disability culture. Through art, meaningful conversations can emerge between practitioners and disabled individuals, allowing for deeper mutual understanding. Rachel’s work aims to dismantle traditional dynamics between practitioners and those they support by fostering inclusive, collaborative creative spaces. For me, her workshop on 'Practitioners of Being and Becoming' reinforced the need to reframe rehabilitation-focused fields, encouraging practitioners to work alongside those they support by offering a tangible pathway for achieving this through art.

Claire Zuch is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois–Chicago. She earned her M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Missouri State University in 2023, following a B.S. in Child, Youth, and Family Studies, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2018. Her research explores the intersection of Behavior Analysis and Disability Studies, with a focus on improving current practices.