WELCOME!
In 2007, Young Audiences Arts for Learning Connecticut became an Affiliate of VSA.
VSA:
- Is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts.
- Provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities.
- Showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities.
Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 55 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. VSA arts stands for:
Vision of an inclusive community,
Strength of shared resources, and
Access to artistic expression that unites us all.
VSA programming and initiatives are guided by four essential principles:
- Every young person with a disability deserves access to high quality arts learning experiences.
- All artists in schools and art educators should be prepared to include students with disabilities in their instruction.
- All children, youth, and adults with disabilities should have complete access to cultural facilities and activities.
- All individuals with disabilities who aspire to careers in the arts should have the opportunity to develop appropriate skills.
Inclusion teaches us that all means all. The arts invite people to leave familiar territory, to explore new answers and seek new questions. The arts offer a means of self-expression, communication, and independence. Inclusive arts programs provide students and adults with the opportunity to become lifelong learners, experiencing the joy of discovery and exploration, and the value of each other’s ideas.
