Examining the Intersection of Arts Education and Special Education

Abstract

A variety of stakeholders work to ensure opportunities for students with disabilities to learn in and through the arts. Because they work in various disciplines in the fields of arts education and special education, these stakeholders lack opportunities to share resources and information. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and its arts and disability affiliate VSA, brought together leaders at the intersection of arts education and special education in the summer of 2012. These leaders established recommendations for a national agenda to address issues impacting the arts education of students with disabilities. These recommendations are encompassed within two broad proposals: (1) create a dynamic information hub/technical assistance center, and (2) establish a consortium of stakeholders across the arts education and special education communities to advance a national agenda. The Kennedy Center and others are now addressing various agenda items, which will ultimately impact access to and the quality of arts education for students with disabilities.

Keywords:

• arts education
• disabilities
• special education

Notes

1. The Kennedy Center and its affiliate VSA's educational offerings include school- and community-based arts education programs that directly impact teachers, students, artists, and school and arts administrators through professional development; improved arts education and arts-integrated curricula for inclusive and self-contained classrooms; the use of a variety of modalities to enhance arts education, such as differentiated instruction and universal design for learning; arts education experiences supporting students of differing abilities in theater, dance, music, visual art, and multimedia; engagement in partnerships, alliances, affiliations, and collaborations to enhance and implement arts education; the creation and provision of educational materials and resources; and preprofessional educational opportunities in the arts for aspiring youth.

2. This section is excerpted from the forum proceedings report (Silverstein 2012).