Stabilis: Hands on Art

Aim

A series of low-pressure art workshops for Neurodivergent & Queer Young Adults (18-25) to connect and limit their isolation & social anxiety

The story behind Stabilis CIC

Carroll (they/them) is a 23-year-old photographer, community arts facilitator, and founding director of Stabilis CIC, they're based in the London Borough of Ealing.

Diagnosed with AUDHD , Carroll experienced firsthand the isolation of navigating creative and educational spaces that were not designed for neurodivergent or gender-diverse bodies. Despite holding a First-Class Honours degree in Photography, their time in higher education was marked by constant masking, sensory overwhelm, and the exhausting labour of explaining their needs to institutions that treated access as an exception rather than a baseline.

This experience did not diminish their commitment to the arts. It refocused it. Rather than continue seeking inclusion in spaces that were not built for them, Carroll chose to build something new. 

Stabilis - Hands on Art is not a traditional arts programme. It is a deliberate alternative, meticulously designed with focus on the needs of neurodivergent and queer people. Natural and low, warm lighting is the default. Headphones and fidgets are visible and accessible. Gender is never assumed. Participation is a menu, not a binary choice. Art requires no talent, no explanation, and no performance.

Early on, Dess (22) a long time friend and another neurodivergent person  joined the project.Together they bring more than lived experience to this work. They bring rigorous training in trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming facilitation and a deep commitment to peer-led, community-owned models.

Their first project - Hands on Art program is designed as a series of eight progressive art workshops. Additionally a facilitator training pathway, and a low-burden participant feedback system has been developed.

Their long-term vision is not simply to deliver programmes, but to train alumni as paid co-facilitators, produce a free "Built-In Access Toolkit" for other community organisers, and demonstrate that the most marginalised young people are not problems to be solved—they are leaders waiting to be supported.

Carroll and Dess are both residents of Ealing and are building Stabilis in and for their own community.

This project closed unsuccessfully on 20th August 2026