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FEBRUARY 2022 InTouch | 7 When Covid-19 hit in 2020 and New Zealand went into Alert Level 4 lockdown, many of Māpura’s disabled artists, who are among the most vulnerable in the country, found themselves more isolated than ever, cut off from their friends in the studio and the art practice so important to their well-being. Diana and the tutors speedily came up with online classes, hosted primarily on Zoom, to meet the needs of its diverse community. The success of its lockdown programme proved that support workers, volunteers, professional tutors, whānau and artists could work alongside each other effectively online. Funding from the Ministry of Social Development has allowed Māpura to further develop its online creative programmes to build a community of artists with disabilities all over the country. This programme, MOA (Māpura Online Artists), was launched in early May 2021 with the initial classes run for the deaf community. These classes comprised of video tutorials in NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) and Zoom live. The second class was a visual art class and open to participants with any disability. More classes were introduced and they’re free for all students. As part of the studio practice, one-on-one teaching is provided for those who need it or find it difficult to participate in a class environment. The MOA classes are designed for those who, for one reason or another, cannot get into the studio or live in remote areas. Māpura has had a student with muscular dystrophy and welcomes anyone from MDANZ who would like to attend classes, whether it’s in the studio or online. 2020 and 2021 were challenging years in so many respects, yet they opened virtual online doors for Māpura Studios to reach out to people with disabilities, no matter where they live in Aotearoa New Zealand, and embrace them in their creative community. CREATIVE, THERAPEUTIC, INCLUSIVE AND FUN For more information on Māpura Studios and its valuable arts programmes, visit www.mapurastudios.org.nz. John Ferriss is the MOA Project Coordinator, Community Outreach and Communications Coordinator with Mapura Studios. Research Grants 2022 Neuromuscular Research New Zealand is once again accepting funding applications for research relevant to New Zealanders living with neuromuscular conditions. Proposals most likely to be considered will be those which address standards of care (including best and/or innovative practice in supporting people with neuromuscular conditions); effectiveness and/or cost benefit of service delivery modes and interventions; prevalence and incidence of neuromuscular conditions; and proposals which extend existing research into treatment and cures. Research of a preliminary nature with the intention of developing further proposals for substantial financial support from elsewhere will also be favoured. Closing date for applications is Friday 18th March 2022 and we hope to advise the outcome by Sunday 10th April 2022. Register your application in advance by emailing nrft@mda.org.nz or go to the MDA’s website www.mda.org.nz/Our-Research/Apply-for-Funding