Daniel Regan appointed as our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor
We are delighted to announce that renowned photographic artist and Arts & Health Hub director, Daniel Regan, has been appointed as our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor.
Daniel will be supporting us to reflect on our equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy, how inclusive practice is developing across the layers of our shared work, and giving specialist advice where needed.
Daniel offers valuable insights into what constitutes inclusive practice, having explored topics like mental health, grief, self injury, suicide and racism, through the lens of his intersectional identities as a queer and disabled person of Black and white mixed heritage. He is also familiar with our work and aspirations for our profession, drawing on his own first-hand experiences of how the arts can positively impact our mental health and from collaborating with art therapists on a range of different projects.
Claire Louise Vaculik, Chair of BAAT, said:
As a profession we are so committed to taking the steps needed to increase diversity and to support more inclusive practice. Many members shared how moved they were by Daniel’s presentation, ‘From Surviving to Thriving: Finding our Voice Through the Arts’ at our annual conference last year. We know that his knowledge and experience can support us to move forward, creatively and thoughtfully, to make the changes needed to progress on this important shared journey.
When accepting the role, Daniel Regan noted:
I’m really looking forward to working with BAAT to ensure the organisation and its members incorporate the voice of lived experience into their practice, embedding anti-racist, anti-ableist and inclusive principles into the work that they do.
We would like to acknowledge the ongoing work being done by art therapists across our community to make practice more inclusive. We particularly wanted to thank Corrina Eastwood, whose inspiring writing and advice in her role as an EDI consultant for the International Journal of Art Therapy (IJAT) set in motion the actions for change process. Also, our EDI Lead Associate Editors for IJAT, Trish Bedford and Sarah Haywood who have continued this work, and our former advisor, Kristina Stamatiou, for all that she did to support art therapy to be more inclusive as a profession.
Public consultation
Everyone is welcome to share their thoughts and ideas on our journal’s equality, diversity and inclusion work. We’re holding an online consultation on 25 January 2024.