VSA arts 1300 Connecticut Ave NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036 Phone (800) 933-8721 Web site: www.vsarts.org

VSA arts is an international non-profit organization that provides access to the arts for people with disabilities for purposes of education, recreation and career development. Founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the organization offers comprehensive programs in the literary, performing and visual arts. As a national arts education organization, VSA arts implements these programs in partnership with local educational agencies, cultural institutions, institutions of higher education, arts agencies, disability associations and health and rehabilitation organizations.

VSA arts has affiliates and collaborators in 47 states and the District of Columbia and 60 international organizations implementing VSA arts programs for people with disabilities. Each year, more than 5.5 million people participate in VSA arts programs.

VSA arts' 26 years of success is based on simple but crucial guiding principles.
1. Experiences in the arts enhance personal growth, increase educational achievement and facilitate career success.
2. The arts are a universal and essential language that challenges people to look beyond themselves and celebrate their diversity by building bridges across cultures and through generations.
3. Participation in the arts by individuals with disabilities promotes acceptance and inclusion in all aspects of life.

VSA arts' focus for the last 26 years has been on developing, adapting, implementing and sponsoring arts-in-education programs. VSA arts programs give children valuable academic advantages by using the arts to enhance learning. In addition, they provide youth and adults with an artistic means of self-statement while enhancing communication skills, self-esteem and independence. By utilizing the power of the arts to enhance education, advance socialization and to promote inclusion, VSA arts programs have improved the lives of people with disabilities in valuable ways, helping them to contribute to the social, cultural and economic life of their communities. These programs are designed to create careers in the arts, identifying and disseminating best practice models and supporting other non-profits that seek to expand creativity, innovation and access to the arts for people with disabilities

Studies show the arts to be integral to every successful society. Participation in the arts enhances critical thinking and problem solving, improves communication and interpersonal skills and promotes teamwork, mutual respect and understanding. In short, exposure to the arts motivates learning and improves our quality of life. VSA arts serves as an effective mechanism for people with disabilities to take advantage of opportunities that allow them to reap these benefits.

Through arts-based educational programs implemented in schools throughout the country, VSA arts has been instrumental in providing teachers and administrators with the tools to enrich learning for students with disabilities. By making the arts an integral part of the early education process, children improve their oral and written communication skills, enhance their social skills and are able to develop a strong academic foundation. Through participation in the visual and performing arts, youth and adults with disabilities access the power of the arts as a means of positive self-statement and personal and professional growth.