This 4-week course will introduce learners to special education law and practice through the lens of arts education. Drawing on classroom examples—with valuable input from experts in the field—from across arts disciplines, Introduction to Arts and Special Education will offer productive and asset-based approaches for understanding, including, and engaging students with disabilities in arts settings.

Throughout this course, we will consider:

1. Who are our students with disabilities? What are their unique needs, strengths, and legal rights in arts classrooms?

2. What are ways to empower students with disabilities through assets-based practice? What are evidence-based strategies to address students' cognitive, sensorimotor, communication, and behavioral needs?

3. How should arts teachers approach accommodations and modifications in their classrooms? How can they leverage no to low-cost solutions and the skills of adult aides to promote inclusion of students with disabilities?

Participants who satisfy all course requirements will receive a letter of completion from the Kennedy Center as evidence of 20 hours of professional development.