A colourful painting shows many people gathered on either side of a train platform. Everyone faces forward smiling at the viewer. A small train sits on the tracks in the centre. A dark storm and white lightning are visible through the archway at the end of the platform.

Highlights: Disability Arts Exhibition 2026

Highlights Disability Arts Exhibition celebrates the creativity, imagination and expression of young artists with SEND.

All artists who submit are featured in the online exhibition, providing an inclusive opportunity for young artists to showcase their work and share their perspectives. We aim to highlight the diversity of talent and provide a platform for young disabled and neurodiverse artists to be seen and celebrated in a supportive environment.

The theme of this year’s exhibition is Challenges, Celebrations and Connections. Artists were asked to interpret this theme in any way that was meaningful to them.

Challenge – physical, health, emotional, social, or accessibility challenges
Celebrations – achievements, resilience, overcoming barriers, celebrating personal or community strengths
Connections – to family, to friends, the planet, nature, to other times, places, hobbies, interests

A colourful drawing shows an abstract scene. On the left, there is a tall, pointed shape made of many small yellow and orange patches. A large blue hand or arm reaches across the middle of the picture from the left. There are two small red figures; one is on the far left, and the other is on the right inside a blue rectangle. At the top, there are many green wavy lines that look like vines. The background is yellow, and the ground at the bottom is brown and grey.

Ethereal Workshop

Alfie

Drawing with coloured pencils and pencil pastels

I like creating art in my own style and colour scheme, which is why I have reimagined Van Gogh’s Starry Night in the way I have. I like to think my artwork is unique and represents me as an artist.

A colourful drawing shows two people peeking out from behind a red doorway. One is tall with long brown hair and glasses, the other is short and has a white beard and eyebrows. Inside the room, the walls are bright yellow with a diamond pattern, and there is a small, square figure in a red suit. In the bottom left corner, there is a brown wooden stand. The walls surrounding the doorway are dark grey.

Moving On

Alfie

Drawing with pencil and coloured pencils

You can’t always stay in the same house; you have to move on. Each house holds new memories that connect to new memories. The characters represent anyone who has moved on in their lives.

A black and white sketch shows a human-type figure split down the middle into two parts. There are two faces looking away from each other. Both have open mouths with curly clouds of smoke coming out. The whole drawing is made of many scratchy lines. In the top right corner, the word

Parts of myself

Axel

Pencil and ink sketch

Connecting to parts of myself, grieve and illness.

A white skull hangs on a piece of cork board with a grey frame. Black mesh cloth with a silver diamond pattern is draped around the skull. To the right of the board, small wooden tiles placed in a haphazard cluster appear to spell out 'Demented'.

Demented

Ben

3D mixed media

I have a dark (but funny) sense of humour, and enjoy seeing others reactions to my random thoughts and macabre interests.

A hand-drawn illustration on a white background features several stylized flowers and green leaves. Each flower has a white circle in the centre with a small green swirl. The flowers come in various colours, including red, blue, purple, orange, and pink, and some have simple line details on their petals. Curly green vines connect some flowers to small leaves, while other leaves are scattered independently across the page.

Happy Blooms

Demi

Acrylic paint pens on canvas

I love being given flowers as they make me feel happy because of the colours. The colours I’ve chosen are the colour of flowers I like. I want people to feel happy when they look at my work.

A sparkle of laughs

Eleanor

Mixed media

I chose this artwork because I used to watch Mr. Tumble when I was young and he made me laugh. I created this because I thought it would help make others laugh and make them happy.

Monkey

Fletcher

Pencil, coloured pencils and handwriting pen

I like creating characters inspired by My Singing Monsters, this is why Monkey is included in my artwork. I wanted to use perspective in my piece, so it looks more realistic.

Boop

Freya

Sketch

My artwork is a drawing of my horse, Boop. I chose to draw Boop because she is very important to me and makes me feel calm and happy. Sometimes the world can feel challenging and noisy for me, but being with Boop helps me feel safe and understood.

The challenges in my artwork are about learning to be brave and patient when things feel hard. The celebration is the special bond I have with Boop and how proud I feel when we spend time together. The connection in my picture is the strong friendship between me and my horse. Boop doesn’t judge me and always listens, which helps me be myself. Drawing her shows how animals can help people feel connected, supported, and loved.

A bright drawing of a round character wearing a tall black pointed hat on a yellow background. The character is filled with patterns, hearts, and an eye. There is a black smiley face in the corner.

Life Connections

Heidi

Pencil and acrylic paint pens on canvas

This is about connections of life, love and hope. It is so colourful and bright. I love that I did my own self.

We’ll Meet Again

Jack

Painting

John Meller, a war veteran who lived in Wales had a connection with Jack, an autistic artists from Sunderland. John taught Jack that kindness can be seen across any obstacles, Jack taught John that the history of the war was deeply embedded into his art and that true friendship can be achieved across all generations. Jack’s artwork shows, not only a celebration, but a deep connection to a man who has given is all for us.

A colourful drawing made with many small grey circles. On the left, there is a tall brown shape with a zigzag crack. In the middle, purple and green lines spread out from a small circle like a web. At the top, there are two long purple shapes.

Familiar Adversary

James

Pencil and coloured pencil

The concept for this artwork is me and how I feel on the inside, hence the broken mirror, the broken heart in the tree and the brains nervous system around the artwork. Familiar Adversary is something I don’t want to be but is it something I have to be? I used black for the nervous system and red, green and purple for the feelings in my heart.

A drawing on a background of small grey circles shows a red heart at the bottom. Red lines that look like lightning reach up from the heart to the top of the page.

(Un)defibrillated

James

Pencil and coloured pencil

What I want tomorrow is what I want today
Cast a shadow into the light and drawn it with infernal night

Open my heart to this plague and let my visions be less vague

No more thinking no more trying
No more blinking no more crying

I’m not waiting I’m not dying
I’m not alive I’m stuck in a hive

This heart is the same heart that was in the tree in my first piece, ‘Familiar Adversary’. It’s fading into black and red, stone cold as if it’s dead.

All Safe Under One Roof

Joseph

Drawing with coloured felt-tip pen

Joseph has a keen interest in art and particularly likes to reminisce his visits with colourful social scenes which demonstrate a keen eye for detail, variety and diversity.

In this piece a large crowd are seen waiting eagerly, on the platform of a station, for incoming trains. Outside a storm rages dangerously above electrical power lines. The relief of shelter and safety is clearly seen in the expressions of the faces in the crowd. Outside, confusion and uncertainty. Inside, assured comfort and togetherness.

Historically, Joseph has struggled with various aspects of social situations. Through his artwork he is able to address and overcome his fears and anxieties. ‘All Safe Under One Roof’ seems to demonstrate the fine line between chaos and conformity. This piece is a personal celebration of expression through creativity.

It comes with good advice – Mind The Gap!

A drawing resembling a house floorplan on a green background with rooms coloured in different shades of blue. In one section, there is a computer with a mouse and keyboard. In another there is a green creature on four legs with a bud-like shape on its back alongside two brown stick figures. In another room is a black TV screen with two characters in purple and green with large white eyes on top of their heads. In the last room, there are two different drawings of a hand drawing on white. There is also a couple of plates and what looks like a pink glass with orange liquid and a grey bendy straw. It also has a red rectangle with a purple figure and a blue figure on it with the words in grey pencil above them reading 'STORY BOTS'.

My Favourite People and Things

Joshua

Drawing with pencils and coloured pencils

I wanted to show all of the things I like in my artwork. They make me feel happy and I want other people to feel happy when they look at it.

A watercolour painting shows a night sky filled with many yellow circles that look like stars. A large grey tree trunk stands on the left side. In the middle of the blue and white sky, there is a wavy shape that looks like wind. At the bottom, there are green hills and a small village with red roofs.

Autumn Night

Joshua

Watercolour

I like the stars and the moon in Starry Night; it makes me feel sad because of the blue. I wanted people to feel calm, so I used lots of light green in my work. I kept the stars yellow, because I wanted them to look shiny.

A white, textured torso stands against a black background. A dark blue patch covers the left side of the neck and chest. A large hole takes up most of the right side. A red rose with green leaves sits inside the cavity. Tiny, warm yellow lights glow around the rose, filling the inside of the torso with light.

Every Beat Counts

Kayleigh

Sculpture

My sculpture of a torso represents the journey of my heart transplant and how it relates to ‘Challenges, Celebrations and Connections.’ The chest symbolises the challenges I faced physically and emotionally, including recovery and learning to accept my scar. It also celebrates my survival, resilience and the extra years of life I’ve been given. Finally, it reflects the deep connections involved in my transplant — between me and my donor, my medical team, my family, and my own body as I continue to heal.

A busy picture shows a thick, dark tree trunk in the centre, standing behind a brown wooden fence. The background is filled with messy scribbles of light blue, pink, and red. Small white dots that look like snow or stars are scattered across a bright red sky.

Consumption

Layton

Acrylic paint and paint pens on canvas

The bottom section of the piece represents old times, paintings where they were realistic. The top half represents modern art and how times have moved on. The old art connects to the modern art, but modern art can be shapes, scribbles and unfinished. I want people to see where the new art consumes the tree, the old art.

Slime Night

Layton

Acrylic paint and pencil drawing

My work represents factories and the pollution they cause by letting the smog they produce go into the air. I used gloomy green and yellow, so it resembled something from a horror film, something gross.

A drawing of a creature with a red cat head and a blue body. The head has green eyes, whiskers, and a big smile with sharp white teeth. In the middle of the blue body is a brown shape with a pink heart. The creature has four arms with colourful stripes and black claws. There is an orange tail at the bottom with a green and blue stripe down the right hand side.

Cat Lady

Lilia

Pencil and aquarelle coloured pencils

They talk to everyone. I find it hard to talk to people and would like to be more like the cat person.

A painting shows a large rectangle outline made of thick red and blue paint on a white background. Inside, there is a smaller black rectangle with a red bowl shape in the middle. Small spots of red, blue, and purple paint are scattered around the outside of the shapes.

World Connection

Logan

Ready-mix paint

The world is a snake; it moves in loops around and around. The world is curvy like a snake. Snakes can be dangerous or in danger, as can the world. The snake in the picture is eating itself showing the world is destroying itself. Climate change can kill animals and endanger the world, making a connection between the world and the environment, as the snake is part of the world.

A drawing of a person wearing brown trousers and a white tshirt with a Rubik's cube for a head. Their hands reach up as if holding the Rubik's cube. Around the person, there are handwritten notes that say,

Change

Max

Pencil and Aquarelle coloured pencil

Someone constantly tries to change things about themselves, trying to fit in. I felt like this when I was younger. Trying to turn the cube to perfect it but making it different every time because each side has different colours. Trying to make each side the same, so all sides are perfect. They can’t fully solve the cube as they’re not sure who they want to be. The background colours are the colours of the Rubix cube.

A drawing in coloured pencil shows a light blue sky with a large green swirl in the centre. In the top right corner, there is a large yellow sun with many pointed rays. On the left side, a tall green and grey shape reaches from the bottom to the top. At the bottom, there are small grey buildings with pointed roofs.

A Strange Night

Max

Pencil, coloured pencil and Aquarelle coloured pencil

My artwork is inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night. I created a reimagined piece and tried to keep the look in my own style. I used some of Van Gogh’s techniques like the dotted sky strips for the land and making some swirls. It made it more visible and outstanding.

Love Hearts

Millie

Drawing

I chose to draw this piece because I like Kawaii friends, and I like creating my own style while using inspiration

Colours of Hell

Neave

Pencil and coloured pencils

I love creating work that includes lots of colours and detail. I have my own style of drawing and love to create worlds and characters that live within those worlds. My work is in a very different style to Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

A colourful drawing shows six triangular windows looking out into different scenes on a white background. One window shows a character with yellow and green hair and a bandage over one eye. Another shows a grey monster with sharp teeth standing between trees. Other windows show a purple space with many eyes, a green object with a symbol, an orange tree, and a waterfall.

Unfinished

Neave

Pencil and coloured pencils

My picture shows different worlds that I have created. They are connected in ways that show my emotions when I created them. I want people to interpret my work in any way they would like.

A colourful drawing shows nine different rooms in a building, each with round-headed characters doing different things. In one room, a character laughs while watching television. In another, a character lifts heavy weights and asks,

Neighbours

Ollie

Pencil and Aquarelle coloured pencils

It’s a bunch of people in the same apartment building on the phone together. It shows that friends are much closer than you think. I want people to go and knock on their neighbour’s door and make a connection.

A pencil drawing shows a large, grey mountain-like shape on the left, covered in many red eyes and open mouths with sharp teeth. In the background, there are swirling grey and red lines, along with several floating grey circles that also have red eyes, teeth, or a star symbol. At the bottom right, there is a collection of buildings, each filled with more red eyes and mouths.

Unsettling Nightmare

Ollie

Pencil and Aquarelle coloured pencils

Van Gogh’s work is filled with many cool colours. I wanted my re-imagined Starry Night to represent me and my personal art style. I used cotton swabs in water to make some of the shape outlines pop. I used red, black and white for an unsettling feeling. I want it to feel scary when people look at it.

A pencil drawing shows a small character with large ears sitting alone on a red bench next to a tree. The character has a thought bubble containing the question

In My Head

Sarah

Pencil and coloured pencils on canvas

My artwork is about what’s going on in my head. The thoughts I have with my teddy bear Gordon. In my head I have lots of different worlds, but one world is the most important which is my world with my thoughts, emotions and Gordon. My artwork represents from when I joined my school in Y8 and shows how I was feeling then. Now I’m in Y10, with not too long left before I leave. I feel better now than in Y8, I’ve developed so many things.

A pencil drawing shows a night sky filled with many small, colourful swirls of orange, yellow, and blue. On the left, there is a large, jagged shape with layers of purple, pink, and yellow lines. In the middle, a snow-capped blue mountain stands next to a brown slope. A small meteor with a red tail streaks across the green-shaded sky. At the bottom right, a small village with red and white houses sits on a green hill behind a brown fence. A bright yellow crescent moon is visible in the top right corner against a background of red and blue stripes.

Mysterious Galaxy

Sarah

Pencil and coloured pencils

I wanted to create my artwork in the way I draw. I love the way I draw because it’s me. Van Gogh’s Starry Night is very dark, so I wanted to create my piece using lots of bright colours like a rainbow.

Three decorated cardboard tubes sit on a white ribbed surface. Each tube is painted to look like a person with a different outfit. The one on the right is painted brown with large googly eyes and has silver stars stuck in a line down the middle. The middle one, is painted pink with a simple face in black. The outfit is white with gold glitter in a 'V' shape. The one on the right is slightly larger than the others, painted blue with a simple face in black. This one has silver stars down the middle and a patch of silver glitter on either side.

ELVIS AINT nothing but a hound ‘bog’

Tracy

Elvis finger puppets

I decided to make these as im a big fan of Elvis and this is also one of my hobbies as i like making things like this and cards by doing things like these helps me to regulate and helps with my emotions

A colourful picture with a large blue section on the left with black shapes in the middle and red cars at the top. On the right is a red section with figures to the bottom, one is drawn wearing a blue outfit standing alongside three stick figures. There are blocks of yellow, blue and brown around the page.

My Family

Zion

Pencil and acrylic paint pens

I love cars and my family; they are very important to me. They are lovely and make me feel happy. I like talking about cars and my family.

A abstract drawing of a street with a tall, pointed red shape on the left side. On the right, orange and green cars sit on a dark road. Below the road are small brown buildlings and several tall, thin shapes in green, orange, and yellow. The background is a bright blue sky filled with many large, grey shapes.

Rainbow Street

Zion

Pencil, coloured pencils and pastel pencils

Van Gogh’s Starry Night has lots of blue in it, I think blue is a cold and sad colour. I used warm colours as I wanted my work to feel happy. I am a happy person, and I love rainbow colours. I want people to feel happy when they look at my work.

Two Soldiers Resting

Ocean

Pastels and graphite on cartridge paper

This artwork is based on a painting by War artist John Singer Sargent. The original was painted in 1918.

Ocean wanted to create a piece of artwork that explored our connection to events of the past. The two soldiers would have faced many terrifying challenges during WW1 but this image captures a moment of blissful rest, two young men alive, one moment in time, where the small things are to be celebrated. The colours and marks Ocean has used, represents a serene moment.

Britain Wants You!

Ben

Gouache paint and graphite on cartridge paper

Ben was learning about propaganda posters used during WW1, to persuade Britains to contribute towards the war effort.

This artwork connects to the past and is an iconic image that is still used in many forms in popular culture. It asks the viewer to take on challenges in the spirit of patriotism. Ben is proud to be British and wanted to celebrate a moment in history and his work asks what you would do for your communities?

In Remembrance

Zak

Charcoal and graphite on cartridge paper

Zak has created an emotive piece of work. His use of soft monotones connects the viewer to past times. Zak’s Image is in response to the poem Flanders Fields by John McCrae. In this images he challenges us to remember the dead and celebrate their victory.

A selection of work from Special Interest Club:

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Highlights: Disability Arts Exhibition 2026 is part of the Autonomy project. The Autonomy project is generously supported by the Association of Independent Museums (AIM) Connected Communities programme, which is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Know Your Neighbourhood Fund, through Arts Council England.

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Highlights: Disability Arts Exhibition 2026

A selection of work from Special Interest Club:

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