The 'Special' Power Of The Arts
Posted Wednesday December 09 2015 at 06:29 am.
Used tags: news, vsa
WNET New York recently interviewed former Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith who founded Very Special Arts, now known as VSA, four decades ago to bring the visual, literary and performing arts to those with disabilities. Kennedy Smith said she launched the initiative to help foster learning in special education classrooms.
"It develops children in a special way: That they love to go to museums, that they love to try different things, that they become more creative, that they're not just leaning things by rote, but they're doing it because they enjoy it," she told MetroFocus Host Rafael Pi Roman.
Kennedy Smith, who served as U.S. ambassador to Ireland, received the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama for her work with VSA.
Despite the success of VSA, David Marquis, the executive director of the VSA affiliate in New York City says it's still a struggle to convince people of the significant role the arts play in a child's life and education. "I think people don't realize the academic connection of growing a child's mind through the arts," he said.
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