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Free, booking essential
We warmly invite families with children with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) and their siblings to join us for a free art workshop at Autograph's gallery in Hackney. The whole family is encouraged to get involved in creative play exploring the senses – playing with textures, light, sculpture and a variety of art materials.
Children with complex needs are welcome. This inclusive event is led by Amy Leung – a London-based artist working across sculpture, drawing and workshops to articulate and communicate joy.
Families can expect a warm welcome from our staff and volunteers before taking part in a session of art-making and experimentation. The workshop offers opportunities for creative exploration in an accessible, step-free gallery environment. To get a better sense of the workshops, see the images below.
Our Family SEND workshops take place every month. Would you like to know when future workshops are announced? Join our Family SEND mailing list.
Tickets to this event are free, however must be booked in advance as our Family SEND Workshops are extremely popular. We will be running two separate workshops over the course of the day, one from 10:30am - 12:30pm and one at 2 - 4pm. Your ticket is only valid for the specific time slot that you book on to. Please only book on to one of the two hour sessions to give other families the chance to attend.
Please book 1 ticket per family. After you book a ticket, you will be contacted by Autograph by email to provide more information about the attendees and how we can make the event as accessible as possible for your family.
Have any questions? We're here to help! Get in touch at livvy@autograph-abp.co.uk
Everyone is welcome at Autograph. We care about our visitors, staff, artists and community, and are keeping measures in place to help ensure a safe visit for everyone. Have a look at our Visit Us page, to find out more about getting to the gallery, accessibility and more.
Each floor has an accessible toilet. All toilets are single-occupancy and unisex.
An air purifier will be in the room which filters more than 99.97% of particles.
We will have refreshments including tea and juice available.
"An amazing group of people who have put on a fantastic afternoon for children with disabilities / SEND and really thought it through. I booked onto this workshop over a month ago, two weeks or so prior to the event I received an email asking about my daughter's needs and requirements - this alone really made me happy. You are asking how you can best prepare for my daughters arrival.
I explained Kyanna was a wheelchair user and the ages of her siblings who would also be attending. They also emailed me 2 days prior saying they have saved me a car parking space which was on the grounds. Every activity that was put out, or reachable by a walking able bodied child, was also available for Kyanna in a table top version. There was absolutely nothing in the room she couldn’t engage with.
On observation all the staff were extremely enthusiastic, engaging and just absolutely lovely with every single child that attended. Each child roamed the room / outdoor space freely with no restrictions what so ever, exploring art in every way possible. We painted, we dressed up using materials and had a fashion show, we played with messy play, explored and just had the best time.
Many places claim to be SEND friendly and are far from it!! SEND inclusive doesn’t just mean being wheelchair accessible, or having a autism hour. It’s about staff who actually care. I’ve already booked onto next month's session and I advise you to do so too!"
— Kiesha has been attending our workshops since 2020
Amy is a London based artist working across sculpture, drawing and workshops to articulate and communicate joy. Working in art education, she is interested in the points where community, craft, objects and cultural identity meet. Materials and playwork are key to her practice, with ideas emerging through making together. Senses and bodies mingle with materials; delighting in the responsive nature of stuff and spaces.
Amy has previously worked with schools, families and communities on projects at Camden Art Centre, Firstsite, the Royal Academy, SLG, Towner Eastbourne and MK Gallery. She often works with groups and communities with crossovers with social work, healthcare and formal educational settings.
Since 2019, we've been making inclusive workshops for the whole family. Find our more about the project
Read moreSupported by Garfield Weston Foundation
Banner image: Photograph from Family SEND workshop, 2026. Courtesy Autograph.
Workshop leaders: Amy) Courtesy the artist.
Your visit: Rivington Place, home of Autograph. Photograph by Zoë Maxwell.
Accessibility: Installation view of Eileen Perrier: A Thousand Small Stories exhibition at Autograph. Photograph by Kate Elliott.
All workshop images: From Family SEND Workshops at Autograph.
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Autograph is a space to see things differently. Since 1988, we have championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice, sharing how photographs reflect lived experiences and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
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