Serving the international disability and arts community since 1974, the Kennedy Center Office of Access & VSA provides opportunities for people with disabilities, of all ages, across the globe to learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts.
Serving the international disability and arts community, VSA provides opportunities for people with disabilities, of all ages, across the globe to learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. Founded 40 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the VSA international network supports and offers a wide array of accessible cultural, arts and education programs, and experiences. The Accessibil
Serving the international disability and arts community, VSA provides opportunities for people with disabilities, of all ages, across the globe to learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. Founded 40 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the VSA international network supports and offers a wide array of accessible cultural, arts and education programs, and experiences. The Accessibil
Operating as usual
Nominate yourself or another amazing Arts Administrator for the Kennedy Center 2022 LEAD Awards! Deadline to apply is May 15, 2022 for:
🏆 Awards for Emerging Leaders
🏆 Community Asset Awards
🏆 Awards for Excellence in Accessibility Leadership
http://kennedy-center.org/lead
Want to learn more about the annual Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability Conference? Join us Wednesday, April 13 from 2:30-3:30pm ET for a FREE zoom webinar were panelists share their thoughts on the benefits of the LEAD conference and taking on leadership in Cultural Accessibility.
Panelists:
→ Tina Childress, Au.D., CCC-A, Audiologist, Late-Deafened Adult, Resource, Advocate
→ Jamie Katz Court, Program Director, PineCone – Piedmont Council of Traditional Music
→ Annie Leist, Associate Educator, Community & Access Programs, MoMA
Facilitator: Charles Baldwin, Access and Inclusion Officer at the Massachusetts Cultural Council
There will be time for questions and connecting. CART and ASL Interpretation provided. Register for this FREE zoom webinar at https://kennedy-center.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkd-Crqz8vEtO9GL_laH4bQ8cRchoAUyND.
“I hope I am teaching people not just how to interact with disabled people in the theater, but also how to interact with disabled people in the greater community, and how you can be an ally.”
[image description: photograph of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jenna Bainbridge backstage at 'Suffs.']
Wheelchair actor Jenna Bainbridge is appearing in a new off-Broadway musical that some are saying is the next 'Hamilton.'
Want to learn more about the annual Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability Conference? Join us Wednesday, April 13 from 2:30-3:30pm ET for a FREE zoom webinar were panelists share their thoughts on the benefits of the LEAD conference and taking on leadership in Cultural Accessibility.
Panelists:
→ Tina Childress, Au.D., CCC-A, Audiologist, Late-Deafened Adult, Resource, Advocate
→ Jamie Katz Court, Program Director, PineCone – Piedmont Council of Traditional Music
→ Annie Leist, Associate Educator, Community & Access Programs, MoMA,
Facilitator: Charles Baldwin, Access and Inclusion Officer at the Massachusetts Cultural Council
There will be time for questions and connecting. CART and ASL Interpretation provided. Register for this FREE zoom webinar at https://kennedy-center.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkd-Crqz8vEtO9GL_laH4bQ8cRchoAUyND.
"ME/CFS is an invisible disability, and that's something that I really wanted to explore in the comic as well. Because sometimes when your condition is invisible to the outside world, you can get a lot of misunderstanding because people look at you and they see someone who seems, well."
[image description: artwork from a graphic novel, depicting a person with dark hair and glasses in a suit with black bowtie, and a gold pocket watch.]
Manchester-based artist Julian Gray's pictures are on show until 2 May, 2022. | ITV News Granada
Artists with disabilities and allies are warmly invited to Open Circles - Open Doors on Saturday, March 26 at 2pm, to get to know each other and create art together. Join Open Circle Theatre for an afternoon of workshops in improv, circus skills, photography, and dance followed by a panel discussing disability justice in the arts at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
[image description: photograph of hands in the air and artists in wheelchairs in the background.]
Join us for an afternoon of workshops in improv, circus skills, photography, and dance followed by a panel discussing disability justice in the arts.
“There are about 7,000 works by 200 artists. There is so much talent represented—each artist has their own point of view, and that clearly comes across in the collection.”
[image description: Untitled artwork by Irene Phillips. Courtesy of the American Folk Art Museum, New York.]
New York's American Folk Art Museum has acquired the archives of Healing Arts Initiative, a long-running art charity for the mentally ill.
The Kennedy Center Office of Accessibility and VSA is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability Awards. Nominate yourself, your organization or others in one of the following three categories:
🏆 Awards for Emerging Leaders
🏆 Community Asset Awards
🏆 Awards for Excellence in Accessibility Leadership
Winners will be presented at a live ceremony in Raleigh, NC during the 2022 LEAD Conference (August 1-5, 2022). Visit kennedy-center.org/lead for details or to apply.
[image description: graphic with a dark blue background and a yellow award wreath and the text 'Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability Awards 2022' in white in the center. A small white Kennedy Center emblem appears at the bottom center.]
“I sound different from other violinists because of my disability. I play my violin like a cello, so the vibrato is different. My [singing] voice has a different quality too, because I’m a small person. We need to expand our idea of what it looks like and sounds like to be a musician. Disability creates art from a specific place, and there’s a lot of great stuff happening.”
[image description: photograph of Gaelynn Lea seated in a colorfully painted chair. She has a pink flower in her hair and is wearing a purple tube top.]
Gaelynn Lea’s ethereal vocals and soulful fiddle playing have made her a rising star in America’s folk music scene. She has toured the country for the past five years and opened for The Decemberists and Wilco, but Broadway was never on Lea’s radar until she got an unexpected call from Tony Awa...
"I think there's a fear that if we say, 'Stop casting neurotypical actors as neurodivergent characters,' that, you know, the producers or directors or whatever is just gonna hear, 'Stop telling neurodivergent stories. But I think it's just the message that we want to be sending, and that EPIC is sending is that — keep telling these stories. Just include us. Let us help you tell them, because we're here and we're doing it. And we've been doing it. And we rock it."
[image description: photograph of nine actors with hands raised during a rehearsal. Behind them are wood panelled walls and a wood floor.]
Founded in 2016, EPIC Players provides professional performing arts opportunities to a diverse cast of artists.
“Because both Christopher and Kamara are grounded in artistic practices that cherish the relationship between their arts and the communities in which they find themselves.”
[image description: photograph of a man with a beard and shaved head, in a black shirt with green beaded necklace, standing in front of a grey painted brick wall.]
Choreographer, educator and disability advocate Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez and singer-songwriter-storyteller Kamara Thomas have been named Princeton University Arts Fellows for 2022-24 by the Lewis Center for the Arts, and will begin two years of teaching and community collaboration in Sep...
Last chance! The deadlines are coming up for two of our competitions for emerging artists with disabilities.
Playwright Discovery Program (apply by Wed, March 9)
https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/opportunities-for-artists/competitions-and-commissions/vsa-playwright-discovery/
International Young Soloists (apply by Mon, March 14)
https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/opportunities-for-artists/competitions-and-commissions/vsa-international-young-soloists/
"An increasing number of disability-led initiatives play an important role in reducing discrimination “headwinds” that thwart media careers of people with disabilities in front of and behind the camera."
[image description: photograph of a male actor signing 'I love you' with his left hand while holding a screen actors guild award in his right.]
The SAG Award wins for "CODA" are one of the pinnacle moments in disability representation history. As the fight for disability inclusion and increased representation in Hollywood continues, Danny Woodburn, brings our attention to "some of the founding mothers and fathers".
“The industry is starting to awaken to the fact that there is a desperate need to represent our diverse society authentically and fairly, and it is because of this that the astoundingly inaccessible nature of theatre buildings and spaces is becoming more apparent."
[image description: photograph of a women with dark hair in the foreground and a brick theater building in the background.]
A lack of access to theatres is holding back disabled performers, a union has warned
Join us March 10 from 2:30-3:0pm ET for our latest AccessLEAD session; "AccessLEAD: Thinking about and supporting people with Long–Haul COVID-19."
Join us for a “Lightning talk” (short but thorough presentation) on Post-COVID-19: What it is, Accessibility Considerations and More with Dr. Tiernan Damas, COVID Compliance Monitor, Dance Place, DC. The shared practical information and Universal Design approach will benefit many other people in addition to supporting those who have “Long-haul COVID”. A facilitated discussion led by Emma Allen, Director of Operations at the Bell Museum, University of Minnesota will follow the presentation. There will also be an opportunity for LEAD updates. On Zoom. CART and ASL interpretation provided.
Register for FREE at https://kennedy-center.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpduuvpjMjEtx8lnaicWD26NEPPG11n0iI
“Sometimes the sensory stimulation is too much — too much noise, too many crowds. What would you do if you were standing next to a loudspeaker at a concert? You’d try to get away from it. You’d cover your ears or talk louder. If you didn’t have appropriate strategies, you might cry. You might scream.”
[image description: photograph of a boy with a mask and headphones standing with a group of people at a table where a woman is showing them props from a performance.]
“People experience the world differently,” said Marcie Bramucci, inviting Hedgerow's audience to be its “fullest self. Vocalizing and moving are welcome for you to enjoy as you like.”
“We’re broadening and expanding what we think dance and dance companies should look like,” said AXIS dancer Louisa Mann. “We make adjustments based on people’s needs and body types, but we’re all here to dance and create and share art.”
[image description: photograph of five dancers entangled in branches and set pieces during a performance.]
“We’re broadening and expanding what we think dance and dance companies should look like,” said AXIS dancer Louisa Mann.
"Outdoor enthusiasts with disabilities are pushing to encounter nature on their own terms, with self-written guides, better equipment and even guide dogs trained for the backcountry."
[image description: photograph of a person in a motorized wheelchair looking over the railing of a boardwalk in a marsh-like outdoor area.]
Outdoor enthusiasts with disabilities are pushing to encounter nature on their own terms, with self-written guides, better equipment and even guide dogs trained for the backcountry.
The Kennedy Center Office of Access and VSA is hiring for Coordinator, Access (evening/weekend). This position is full-time with onsite duties and is directly involved with patron/visitor/customer service and accessibility.
Apply now at https://phg.tbe.taleo.net/phg01/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=THEKENNC&cws=38&rid=1252
High school students are invited to explore the disability experience through the art of writing for performance through the Kennedy Center Playwright Discovery Program. Applicants may be young writers with disabilities or collaborative groups which include students with disabilities.
The writers are encouraged to craft short (10 minute) works from their own experiences and observations through the creation of fictional characters and settings, writing realistically, metaphorically or abstractly about any topic, including the disability experience.
Learn more or apply by March 9, 2022: https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/opportunities-for-artists/competitions-and-commissions/vsa-playwright-discovery/
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VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, was founded more than 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to provide arts and education opportunities for people with disabilities and increase access to the arts for all. Each year, 7 million people of all ages and abilities participate in VSA programs, in every aspect of the arts – from visual arts, performing arts, to the literary arts.
Four principles guide VSA programs and affiliates:
When founded in 1974, the organization was named the National Committee - Arts for the Handicapped. In 1985 the name changed to Very Special Arts and in 2010 it became VSA. In 2011, VSA merged with the Kennedy Center Office of Accessibility to become the Office of VSA and Accessibility at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
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