Arts Activities Support

26 individuals participated in the program (2 unable to complete). 77% of participants indicated they “very rarely” participated in arts activities prior to the program, and 35% indicated having no access to arts in the community outside of this opportunity. Post-program surveys indicated 100% of participants demonstrated gains in their interpersonal and social skills as a result of the program. Participants in The Art of Social Skills were all successfully provided with high quality experiences in theater, music, dance, visual arts, and poetry by accomplished professional artists, achieving our first artistic goal. More than 80% of participants indicated they weren’t engaged in any form of arts activities at program initiation; of the five who indicated that they currently participated in arts activities, only three indicated exposure to the arts more than monthly. None of the participants were engaged in this type of high quality, intensive artistic experience, however. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of the participants reported they “very rarely” participated in arts activities of any type at program initiation. The Art of Social Skills successfully met our second artistic goal by providing a safe and creative venue to practice appropriate communication, such as eye contact, body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions, and to “rehearse” a variety of social interactions. Three of the ten domains measured by pre- and post-program evaluations where most improvement was reported included effective communication, demeanor and attitude, and cooperativeness. One individual who had “a lot of trouble with communication and engaging in conversations” at program initiation demonstrated gains in six out of ten domains measured after program completion, including self-awareness, communication, demeanor and attitude, working with others, professionalism, and acceptance of feedback. It is unlikely he would have be open to engaging with others, let alone gaining skills from the experience, without the safe environment provided by the program. Achievement of our final artistic goal was demonstrated by a comparison between pre- and post-program evaluations, which indicated that 100% of the individuals who participated in the program for the entire period had gained improvements in social skills that will positively impact their interpersonal interactions, such as being successful in volunteer settings and in the workplace, and engaging more effectively in their broader communities. Some things that worked well included: Individuals who had been withdrawn, and even “dependent” at program initiation had opportunities to express themselves artistically in a supportive environment, resulting in a greater willingness to risk vulnerability and being more self-reliant through performance opportunities and creative choices. Individuals who struggled with impulse control gained greater insight into the importance of taking turns, watching and listening to others, and providing feedback in constructive ways and at socially acceptable times. Role play opportunities also provided experience with connecting the more abstract painting, dance and rhythm activities to the real world situations, by acting out and practicing solutions to challenges they face in social settings on a daily basis. Our project successfully reach the intended community with regard to program participants, support staff, and teaching artists. Because we were able to pull from a pool of diverse candidates who receive services from Community Involvement Programs, both groups had a rich diversity of participants. The programs were accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities including intellectual/developmental disabilities, mental illness, emotional/behavioral challenges, physical disabilities, and sensory deficits. For example, the program space was fully accessible for individuals who used wheelchairs and sign language interpreters were provided for participants who were deaf/hard of hearing. In addition, Community Involvement Programs provided transportation support to ensure participants were able to get to each arts session. Participants came from a wide variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups. The program also provided exposure to a unique arts experience for 10 staff employed by Community Involvement Programs, who provided support and oversight to the participants involved in the program while participating alongside them. The small size of each group (no more than 15 people with disabilities plus several support staff), allowed the teaching artists to address the diversity of experiences and abilities that were present. The programs were designed for groups with a range of abilities and the teaching artists had experience addressing the differing needs related to certain types of disabilities, and created an environment inclusive of all individuals. One way to potentially enhance the richness of experience for future programs such as this would be to open up the classes to community members who were interested in an intensive arts program, to provide increased exposure to those in the greater community for the participants, as well as offering an opportunity for community members to have a rich and engaging experience with people who experience disability. The biggest challenge with this would likely be managing larger group sizes and the diversity of potential responses, while still ensuring that those who were primarily designated as program participants still received the intended benefits of our artistic goals.