Sarah is a student in
the Special Education classroom of Lake Harriet Middle School. At
this time last year, she was unwilling to engage with other students
or join in group activities. “English is
her second language. She has Down syndrome, and is unable to communicate verbally,” Sarah’s
teacher explained. “She has very few social skills or ways to interact
with her peers.”
Upstream Arts, a Twin Cities nonprofit
that provides arts programming to individuals with disabilities,
began its artist residency program in Sarah’s classroom in the fall of 2006. The program uses a
variety of art forms –including theater, music, poetry, and visual
arts—to develop the social and communication skills of individuals
with disabilities.
At first Sarah was resistant
to the arts activities. She sat in the circle with the rest of the
kids, but refused to participate. Yet each week Sarah showed a little
more interest. By the spring semester, Sarah was a full participant
in the group. She was acting, moving to music, miming and making
exaggerated facial expressions to communicate her feelings to her
peers. “This
program is perfect for Sarah,” her
teacher noted. “It brings her out of her shell and gives her
ways to communicate with the other kids through miming and other non-verbal
ways. This social interaction is vital for her."
Upstream Arts is dedicated to helping
individuals become more socially independent through interaction
with the arts. “Self-expression
and social interaction are a challenge for many people with disabilities,” says
executive director Julie Guidry. “The arts provide a powerful
avenue for self expression and can develop vital social skills like
recognizing and using facial expressions and body language, and expressing
emotion. For those who cannot communicate using verbal language, the
arts provide non-verbal, physical, and visual forms of communication.”
Each class is led by local professional
artists—including actors,
dancers, poets, visual artists, musicians, and writers—who have
been trained to provide programming to groups with a range of abilities.
Its programs are inclusive of all individuals with disabilities—including
those with cognitive, physical and developmental disabilities. “It’s
a real equalizer for all of the kids,” a special education teacher
said about the program at her school. “We have a huge range of
abilities in the classroom, and all of the activities, whether they
are theatrical, visual or involve movement, are all so inclusive. And
it’s not just creative. It’s very social. In the programs
students are learning to wait their turn, encourage others, and cooperate.”
Julie and her husband Matt formed the
arts organization in 2006 after watching their son Caleb, who is
non-verbal and has physical and cognitive disabilities, begin to
use movement and theater-based activities to communicate with those
around him. “My husband Matt is an actor
here in the Twin Cities,” Julie explains. “Caleb sometimes
attended rehearsals with Matt. In that environment, he began to pick
up on the movements and facial expressions of the actors, and began
to use these tools to reach out and communicate. Theater opened doors
for him, gave him a way to interact with his peers. We believe the
arts can open doors for other kids and adults with disabilities to
participate more fully in school and everyday life.” ![]()
In addition to its school
residency program Upstream Arts offers arts workshops and programs
in conjunction with other disability-focused organizations in a number
of metro areas on school vacation days. For more information visit
the organization’s
Web site at www.upstreamarts.org, or call their office at 612-331-4584.
