This program is designed to get typical young adults on college campuses and those
with disabilities together to work on projects and interact as peers. It gives students
working on degrees that directly involve working with people with disabilities, an
opportunity to get hands-on experience. It gives students of the A.R.T.S. Academy
an opportunity to be on campus interacting with typical students. This is an
experience they would not otherwise have due to their intellectual challenges.
Though unable to compete mentally, they are very capable of appropriate behavior
and social interaction with typical young adults. This experience will breakdown
barriers and make both groups accessible to one another.
No matter what field they are in, college students will need to have diversity training
to be successful. We are no longer allowed as a society to exclude people because
of their differences. Future community and business leaders will need to know how
to make inclusion successful. The more experience they have with it the better their
opportunities for success.
This program may be set up by semester. Each semester will have components for
learning, for all involved, through exposure to one another as they work on projects
together.
Performing arts activities lend themselves to a variety of learning experiences, and it
is a fun way to get things rocking! A lot of conversations take place in the process of
developing a performance.
Typical students can become involved in many ways. They become teachers,
empowering them and giving them experience in leadership.