Travis Tennessen’s Talk Tiles were used to support students to articulate their learning journeys throughout their two-week Summer School experience at the Rix Inclusive Research Institute, UEL.
Talk Tiles are a Social Learning tool which simply capture the eight dimensions of participatory experience, as detailed within Wenger-Trayner’s (2020) Value Creation Framework: Feelings, Possibilities, Actions, Changes, Support, Importance, Place and Identity. The students grew familiar with the tiles, firstly, at the beginning of the programme, as a tool to support conversations on intention and hopes for what may come. Then throughout the programme, to share their perspectives of, and reactions to events and activities they had experienced. The final activity, featured below, involved students each picking three tiles which best illustrated their learning journey over the two weeks of Summer School, and to use them as writing prompts.
Helen Evans, RIX Affiliate partner
Amy
When I first thought about coming on this trip, I was unsure if I belonged. I questioned what I could possibly contribute and whether I had anything meaningful to offer. As the days went on, I realised that I was exactly where I was meant to be. I found the confidence to share my experiences—not only from my life, but also from my perspective as a nurse. For the first time in a long time, I felt accepted for who I am. Although I started this journey feeling closed off because of my own struggles, the people around me opened doors I never expected, and I found a place where I truly belonged.
This trip showed me how important the work we are doing really is. We have the ability to change the lives of people who struggle in silence or feel completely alone. Accessibility is not a luxury—it is a necessity. Too many people cannot board a train, enter a building, or complete simple daily tasks because the world was not designed with them in mind. No one should ever feel like an outcast because of a disability. I want to continue advocating for accessibility and help bring these conversations to the forefront so that others understand the impact barriers have on a person’s dignity, independence, and quality of life.
This experience reminded me that change begins with people who are willing to see the world differently. We may not change everything overnight, but we can create a future where our children grow up knowing that those before them recognised where the world was lacking and chose to make it better. I want people to see disability not as a weakness or a stigma, but as a different kind of strength—a superpower that deserves respect, support, and opportunity. This journey changed me. It strengthened my voice, deepened my passion for nursing and advocacy, and reminded me that kindness, inclusion, and innovation have the power to change lives. There is already enough hate in this world. I want to spend my life creating change, building acceptance, and helping others feel seen, heard, and valued. If each of us commits to making even one small difference, together we can build a world where everyone truly belongs.
Anna
At the start of my journey, I was very excited to explore a new place, but there was a part of me that was definitely a bit nervous because I didn’t know what to expect.
As I went through the programme, I learned how I can better support myself and others, no matter the experience. I think that’s important to me since I want to become a psychologist who supports everyone.
At the end of this trip, I’m excited to change my way of life to accept everyone and take back what I learned to change the world.
Ben
I went into this programme excited for the possibilities to meet new people and learn more about accessibility in cities. The States are not as good at accessibility, and I knew I had a lot of chances to learn all about it. The possibility to learn was what made me most excited.
My perspective of people with disabilities changed a lot as the programmeme went on. All of the chances they get showed me how critical it is to have all people contribute to society. I believe I have changed as well. This programme has shown me a lot of patience and empathy.
I realised how important it was for me to go on this programme. This has shown me the importance of accessibility and how everything should be accessible for everyone. I will bring what I learned from this programme into my day-to-day life.
Caleb
Being in a new place is weird, and London isn’t like any city I’ve ever been before. It feels like a collage, all these places bordering every place you can think of. Gradually, though, you get used to it.
As I got more used to being here and went on more trips with the group, how I saw the world began to change. There was something talked about near the beginning – something like invisible barriers – and I began seeing them more and more as my trip continued
At the end of this, I have learned a lot about how other people see the world, and I hope I am ready to give them the support they require to navigate it.
Carson
Prior to coming to England, it had always been the place I wanted to visit the most. I love the culture and Europe in general. I had mixed feelings leaving the USA for the first time and getting ready for a very long flight. After I arrived, I felt in place compared to feeling out of place. Things felt right but I still had my guard up and was unsure what support I would get. I tried to ease into things, and meeting all the nice people here made me feel good. I truly have felt the support through my journey in London. The tube was scary to me at first due to my having a directionless nature; however, I started to understand it quite well, which made me feel more comfortable travelling, especially compared to when I went to Washington D.C.
One thing that tripped me up about this place was the buses, specifically on weekends when the DLR tube is not running. The system could definitely use a lot of support, and I prefer the trains, but I do not mind taking the buses. Overall, these three words help describe my journey from Florida to London, and I am quite sad to leave this place and these people.
Cole
Over the course of this trip, I have seen how people have made drastic changes in the lives of those who are disabled through inventions, changes in legislation, and general change in public mindset. It was inspiring to see this and it motivated me to be someone who makes a change for others during this trip. I have never made a direct change in someone’s life during my engineering career, and I really appreciated the opportunity to do it here.
I love how this course takes place in London, because it makes it a special learning experience. In day-to-day class at UF, it sometimes gets to routine and the learning experience becomes dulled and boring, which makes me forget what I learned. Here, however, I am able to tie what I learned to a fun and dynamic experience, and that’s what will make it stick with me.
This course has pushed me to brainstorm ideas, and I have come up with a lot, even aside from what we actually chose to present on. I really think some of the things I came up with should exist. It has made me realise how much is left of the table and how many possibilities there are to improve access for everyone.
Gabby
I came to this Study Abroad because it is very important to me. I am a big advocate for accessibility in software design and in general design, and I wanted to see how different places made accessibility a primary feature they invent upon instead of an add-on, but if it is an add-on, how do they add it on?
Throughout this journey, I felt a lot of different feelings. I felt inspired. I felt uncomfortable, but I mostly felt joy. It was an amazing process. I really enjoyed exploring different places, not because of the places because of the people. How the people talked about how they made the world accessible and how other people clearly felt passionate – so I felt passionate and I felt extremely, extremely inspired.
With the Hackathon, just taking to people, just thinking on my own – I came up with a lot of possibilities. Not only for future inventions and projects but just how could I make the world a more accessible place in my day-to-day life. This is a lot of things I could do, and I could change, about how I speak and how I communicate with others to make sure I am being as accepting and non-ableist as possible.
Karolina
This programme was very important to me. It aligns perfectly with my personal and career goals. I’m very passionate about advocacy, inclusion and accessibility.
This programme gave me so much support, from the individuals in this programme to the insight I’ve learned and the sites I’ve seen.
This programme has changed the way I see disability and accessibility. I hope to take the knowledge I’ve learned back with me to the states and in my future career as a disability rights attorney.
Lexi
In the beginning of the programme, my eyes were really opened to the possibilities out there for improvement regarding accessibility. Going into the programme I knew of a lot of those issues, but I didn’t realise how much more there was out there.
Throughout the 2 weeks, we spoke to many different people with different experiences. We also went to multiple different site visits. Each conversation I had and presentation I saw showed me how important it is that we change how accessibility is approached.
At the end of the programme, especially the last 2-3 days, I really started to see changes happening. When we were all in groups creating our projects and making prototypes, I saw the passion and motivation we had to actually make an impact in the world. I also realised that we are the group and the generation that should continue making these changes.
Livia
I came into this programme with mixed feelings about staying in a new city with people I didn’t know. I was happy to find out just how interdisciplinary this programme truly was, and it was cool to see how engineering can complement the social sciences.
Once we started our projects, I realised how important it is for people from different majors to come together and assess a problem that is so often overlooked. I noticed that our ideas can really make a difference in real people’s lives, and how stories from people with lived experiences stand out.
Leaving this programme, I now know that accessibility can come in many forms. My studies are aimed at policymaking, which is an abstract concept used for disability equality. Throughout this trip, I has several ideas about how to frame disability inclusion in the abstract realm so physical barriers can be removed one at a time.
Omar
Identity played a big part when I arrived to the London programme. I have ADHD as a Latino student – therefore a neurological condition was mis-labelled as lazy and unmotivated. While it was frustrating to be in the dark about it until the 8th grade, I made the best out of it during high school and into University.
The importance of this programme gave me the information and the experience, both first and third person views, living day to day with a disability. Learning about it gave a perspective that I have never thought about before and I have a lot to bring back to the US.
The possibilities within the creation made in the programme are those that will change lives, not only for those with disabilities, but everyone in general. This generation has the opportunity to create a better environment for everyone in the coming future and providing a light for inclusion for everyone.
Ryleigh
Before joining this programmeme, I already understood the vital importance of disability inclusion and accessibility, but I wanted to bridge the gap between awareness and action. I wanted to know how we actually make it happen. I knew this programme would be a crucial stepping stone to gain those skills and to learn how to build spaces where the community feels truly heard, recognizing that every small step forward matters.
During my time here, I discovered so many new possibilities for improving accessibility, learning that there are endless ways to approach a single design challenge. Beyond the technical skills, the human element was incredible: I met more people from the disability community in these two weeks than ever before. Having the opportunity to simply listen to their lived experiences and stories was more profound than I ever could have imagined.
As the programme comes to an end, I am reflecting deeply on the support I received from fellow peers, faculty, and the community itself. To be honest, it was mind-blowing, because I never felt that level of support growing up. This environment provided the kind of community I wish “little me” had. Experiencing it now has completely validated my aspirations and made me even more driven to do this work. I want to be a beacon of support for others, whatever career pathway I go down, to be the person who makes someone’s life genuinely better simply by listening and choosing to show up for them.
Sofia
This programme was very important to me from the first time I heard about it because I had never heard of any other study abroad programmemes that involve studying disability and assistive technology, which is something I am very passionate about.
As I have been going through this programmeme it has opened up even more possibilities for what I can do in the future for a job and in terms of serving the disability community. It has also further fuelled my desire to create assistive technology and pursue a career based in accessibility.
Participating in this programmeme I have become more comfortable with my identity as a disabled person. It has helped me understand the other parts of the community and made me truly appreciate all the things that it has to offer.
Zach
A large part of why I was interested in this programme to begin with was an interest in the location of London itself and how its infrastructure and design influenced its accessibility.
Hearing about the necessity of accessibility from different perspectives in the first week really sharpened the importance of the task for me.
I learned a ton about both the challenges and the opportunities to take action to improve accessibility.
