Arts and Crafts for people with disabilities

Arts and crafts are proven to have long-lasting effects, and not just as additional wall décor.

Participating in such activities can increase your skill set from coordination to creativity, but they can also be a new way to express yourself and communicate your feelings to others.

For people with disabilities, arts and crafts can be a great opportunity to socialise with others, meeting new people and expressing their ideas.

Arts and crafts are a skill for making objects or decorations by hand and can be anything from painting to origami.

What are the benefits?

Many people choose to spend time doing arts and crafts because of the great positive rewards. It’s no doubt that your creative skills will improve but the lasting mindful effects are also unmistakable.

The benefits can range from being an expressive outlet to giving yourself the creative freedom to feel inspired, which inevitably can boost your self-confidence. This new found confidence is an important step to start leading an even happier life, enriched with a positive outlook, to be ready for any new challenges that may come your way. People with disabilities can sometimes find starting a new hobby challenging and can often steer away from starting something new. The feeling of uncertainty and the unknown can be overwhelming, but that’s why arts and crafts is a great place to start.

You can choose to create art in a group or by yourself in the comfort of your own home, or both. It’s an opportunity to spend your time productively and develop new skills at the same time.

How can arts and crafts benefit people with disabilities?

Getting involved with arts and crafts can be a great chance to socialise and meet new like-minded people. You can join a local group or even invite friends to start your own. Being busy and creating new things is a great way to take your mind off of anything else that might be going on in the world and concentrate on the finer creative things.

It’s also apparent that it can help you with your confidence. Not only will you become more confident in your constantly improving skills, but also by expressing yourself it will also change how you view yourself.

Expressing how your feeling or any views you have is always important to do. Closing off or bottling in emotions can make you feel worse. Utilising your time through handy artwork can be a great opportunity to voice your opinions in a more meaningful, tangible and positive way.

Arts and crafts ideas to try when living with a disability:

• Painting – painting can be a great way to express yourself and produce an aesthetically pleasing piece of work, which can help to build confidence and relax the mind.
• Origami – a tradition in Japanese culture of paper folding to produce an amazing shape. This hobby will help improve hand-eye coordination as well as concentration and patience to bring a calming positive attitude to your everyday life.
• Knitting – creating multiple loops of yarn to make any type of garment. This activity has shown to be as effective as meditating, reducing stress and even preventing arthritis.
• Pottery – moving clay on a turntable to create your own masterpiece. Pottery can be a gentle way to strengthen your arms, and wrists and is a great way to explore your creativity.

Your local community may already host events for different arts and crafts that you can get involved with. The next time you visit your local shop or church, for instance, ask around and see what’s going on in your local area.