founded 1974 founder jean kennedy smith headquarters washington d.c. slogan the international organization on arts and disability website http www.kennedy center.org education home.html detailheader access access disability theory and models disability theory ableism disablism medical model social model education mainstreaming individualized education program iep special needs special school special education learning disability therapy physical occupational speech societal implications disability rights movement inclusion normalisation people first language pejorative terms personal assistance personal care assistant adls orthotics and braces prosthetics assistive technology assisted living mobility aid physical accessibility universal design web accessibility socioeconomic assistance social security disability insurance supplemental security income ticket to work disability living allowance disabled students allowance disabled persons railcard freedom pass assured income for the severely handicapped groups organizations national telecommuting institute society for disability studies disabled peoples international dpi visitability disabled sports special olympics paralympic games deaflympics invictus games culture disability in the arts disability art disability in the media disability portal disability lists v t e vsa is an international organization on arts education and disability which was founded in 1974 by former u.s. ambassador to ireland jean kennedy smith and is headquartered in washington dc . 1 2 3 in 2011 vsa became the department of vsa and accessibility at the john f. kennedy center for the performing arts . the purpose of vsa which started out as very special arts is to provide people of all ages living with disabilities the opportunity to learn through participate in and enjoy the arts . a primary focus is on arts education opportunities for young people with disabilities and to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the arts education and culture around the world . each year people of all ages and abilities participate in vsa programs which cover all artistic genres music dance visual arts theater and literary arts . this is accomplished through a network of affiliates in 52 countries and vsa state organizations across america . 4 on september 28 2005 the board of trustees of the kennedy center and the board of directors of vsa arts as the organization was known at the time announced their formal affiliation effective october 3 2005 . the stated purpose of this action was to enable both organizations to expand and strengthen their arts education programs to better serve children families and all people with disabilities around the world . other reasons cited were to allow for the sharing of resources and programming between the two organizations . the affiliation became a full merger in 2011 . contents 1 principles and philosophy 2 notable programs 3 notable artists 4 name changes 5 references 6 external links principles and philosophy edit the four principals which guide vsa are that 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 . 5 moreover they state that inclusion teaches us that all means all . everybody . no exceptions . the arts invite people to leave familiar territory explore new questions and seek answers . the arts offer a means to self expression communication and independence . by learning through the arts students become lifelong learners experiencing the joy of discovery and exploration and the value of each other s ideas . vsa is committed to driving change thru the arts classroom by classroom community by community . 5 notable programs edit each year vsa sponsors many notable programs such as the international young soloists program playwright discovery program call for children s art internships across the nation for students with disabilities . vsa vw call for art program offers an exhibition opportunity for emerging visual artists with disabilities in the u.s. ages 16 25 including 60 000 in cash awards among the largest in the nation with a 20 000 grand prize . 6 vsa founder jean kennedy smith co authored a book with george plimpton entitled chronicles of courage very special artists which was published by random house in april 1993 . this 272 page book profiled 16 artists with disabilities who discussed how participation in the arts made a positive difference in their lives . notable artists edit many artists of note have been directly involved with or supportive of vsa . those with disabilities have included painter chuck close sculptor mark di suvero theatrical director jack hofsiss musician tony mel ndez actor and director howie seago glass artist dale chihuly violinist itzhak perlman and many others . academy award winning actress marlee matlin wrote and published a sequel to her novel deaf child crossing entitled nobody s perfect which was produced on stage at the kennedy center in partnership with vsa arts in october 2007 . 7 name changes edit vsa and its name have evolved since the organization was founded . the organization was and continues to be a pioneer in the field of arts and disability . vsa has played a significant role over the years in changing society s attitudes toward people with disabilities . with that change the organization has regularly looked at its own identity to ensure it is consistent with current attitudes and language used by the disability community . the organization began in 1974 as national committee arts for the handicapped then in 1985 became very special arts . this changes to vsa arts in 1999 and simply vsa in 2009 . two years later in 2011 vsa and the kennedy center s office on accessibility merged becoming the department of vsa and accessibility at the john f. kennedy center for the performing arts . references edit notes jfk s sister jean kennedy smith reflects . usa today . 26 september 2010 . the last kennedy jean kennedy smith . abc world news with diane sawyer . 26 august 2009 . white house office of the press secretary 15 february 2011 . president obama names presidential medal of freedom recipients . vsa affiliates . a b vsa arts four principals vsa programs on the kennedy center website matlin marlee . nobody s perfect external links edit official website chronicles of courage very special artists review in publishers weekly vsa arts celebrates jfk s commitment to social justice article & video on huffington post international vsa festival 2010 on the kennedy center website vsa metlife foundation award 150 000 to arts education programs on the charter oak center website similar organizations national arts and disability center national institute of art & disabilities mouth and foot painting artists disabled artists network organizations that assist artists with disabilities on the national education association nea website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title vsa kennedy center & oldid 685475310 categories american disability organizationsorganizations established in 19741974 establishments in washington d.c.hidden categories use dmy dates from december 2010 navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page 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