What Is

VSA?

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www.vsarts.org

experiencing the joy of discovery and exploration, and the value of each other’s ideas.

VSA is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by
Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith as Very Special Arts.
For more than thirty years, VSA arts has worked to create a
society where people with disabilities can learn through, partici-
pate in, and enjoy the arts. Currently more than five million
people participate in VSA arts programs through
a network of affiliates nationwide and in
more than sixty countries.

Mission The scope of the organization’s work is immense, reaching people of all ages and abilities across the globe. Still, our mission remains simple— to use the arts to include people with disabilities in all aspects of society.

About VSA Arts Designated by the United States Congress as the coordinating organization for arts programming for persons with disabilities, VSA arts is supported by its affiliate network in offering diverse programs and events and innovative lifelong learning opportunities at the international, national, and local levels ranging from training institutes and artist-in-residence projects to arts camps and emerging-artist award programs.

• Every young person with a disability deserves access to appropriate arts learning experiences.

• All artists in schools and art educators should be adequately prepared to include students with disabilities in their instruction.

• All children, youth, and adults with disabilities should have complete access to community cultural facilities and activities.

• All individuals with disabilities who aspire to careers in the arts should have the opportunity to develop necessary skills.

Learning Through the Arts
Programming and initiatives of VSA
arts are guided by four essential prin-
ciples:
Inclusion teaches us that all means
all. Everybody. No exceptions. The
arts invite people to leave familiar ter-
ritory, to explore new answers, and to
seek new questions. The arts offer a
means to self-expression, communica-
tion, and independence. Through the
arts, students become lifelong learners,

Working for Change

VSA arts is committed to driving change—changing perceptions and practice, classroom by classroom, community by community, and ultimately society. There is still a long way to go to achieve inclusive arts access and equal opportunity of expression for all.

VSA arts president Soula Antoniou captured the true mission of the organization at the Start with the Arts Festival, held in Washington, DC the week of June 5, 2005, when she said: “Pearls are a traditional gift to mark thirty years together, and are a fitting symbol for VSA arts’ anniversary celebration. As a pearl is made up of layers, our thirty years are layers built upon a unique vision that began with Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith.

“In size, shape and color, pearls exist in a stunning diversity of forms. Likewise, we are each a rare treasure. Working together we resemble a string of pearls, connected by a common purpose and commitment to arts, education, and disability.

“One of the most distinctive features of a pearl is its luminosity and the way it seems to glow from within. This radiance is a caused by reflection; similarly, the work of VSA arts reflects the extraordinary commitment of our nationwide and international VSA arts network of affiliates, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the United States Congress.”