Reflection

 Above artwork created by Jeremy Sicile-Kira, an Autistic non-verbal artist with synesthesia. He uses his synesthesia to create pieces like the one I used above, translating people's emotions and words into colors. You can view more of his work here.

Project Reflection

I wanted to create this project, in part, as a way of processing and trying to make sense of my own experience. I have really appreciated having the chance to think further, and in a more academic way, about psychiatric facilities. It was surprising to me (although perhaps it shouldn't be) just how little information really exists on psychiatric facilities. I was trying to research the policies and percentage of institutions that are for-profit, for example, and information was incredibly difficult to find. Policies and information on the rights of patients within psychiatric wards was also difficult to access. I looked specifically at one hospital that I am familiar with, trying to find their policies and if they were a for-profit company, and they had absolutely zero information on their website. It was frustrating to feel as if this information is being purposefully kept away, and makes me worried for the moral implications for these facilities.

Overall, though, I have appreciated the variety of ways that I was able to express this project -- a website, an inforgraphic, a collage, and a short write-up. Using different mediums has helped me to understand this topic from a variety of perspectives.