About VSA arts: About VSA arts

Home › About Us

VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. VSA arts is creating a society where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. Nearly five million people with disabilities participate in VSA arts programs every year through a network of affiliates nationwide and in over 60 countries worldwide.

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.

Programming and initiatives of VSA arts are guided by four essential principles:

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.

Inclusion teaches us that all means all. Everybody. No exceptions. The arts invite people to leave familiar territory, to explore new answers and seek new questions. The arts offer a means to self-expression, communication, and independence. By learning through the arts, students become lifelong learners, experiencing the joy of discovery and exploration, and the value of each other's ideas.

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 the equal opportunity of expression for all.

VSA arts president Soula Antoniou shares a few words about our mission