Culture And Memory

Groundwork

This New Ground, a neurodiverse-led arts organisation, aims to increase access to heritage for people with learning disabilities in Portsmouth through our project, Groundwork. People with learning disabilities do not have an archive in Portsmouth. Their heritage is at risk of being lost unless oral history is preserved and archived. Groundwork is co-designed alongside people with learning disabilities. Through this project we will: Fill gaps in Portsmouth’s Heritage; Give voice to people excluded from traditional historical records; Challenge views of the past; Place people with learning disabilities at the centre of activity and decision-making. Groundwork’s legacy will be permanently archived oral histories of people with learning disabilities in Portsmouth Library Archives. Additionally, we’ll ensure our digital stories are accessible and discoverable on a website. Through exhibitions at Aspex Gallery and Portsmouth Central Library, the wider community will engage with previously unheard histories, fostering a more inclusive understanding of Portsmouth's heritage.