NAEAnews. “SPECIAL NEEDS,” June, 2004, Vol. 46 (3) p.1. – NAEA Convention, Denver

Denver has snow-capped mountains to the west and clear blue sky overhead. It is a mile above sea level so the air was drier and thinner. Parched participants probably set a conference record for the amount of water guzzled and hand lotion used. Besides juggling water bottles, programs and notebooks, NAEA convention goers were challenged to find meeting rooms with only ten-minutes between sessions. By the time most had figured out how to navigate the inter-connecting corridors of the two hotel buildings, with their convoluted, multi-leveled conference areas, the conference was over. Outside the hotel, the free tram ride on the 16 th street mall made life and shopping easier. But, how does one exercise willpower when you can hop on that quiet, comfortable transport system, drop off packages, and start all over again?

Problems aside, this column focuses on what happened inside the conference rooms. Our Special Needs Issues Group met for the third year and is growing, in members and goals. One major goal has been accomplished. We now have a website that provides information about a wide range of special education and art topics. More information about the website can be found below. We will soon have a listserv to better communicate with our members.

Congratulations to our Special Needs President, Janet Fedorenko. Jan received the Western Region, Ohio Art Educator of the Year Award. Fedorenko appointed Susan Loesl to be Acting Secretary. We will soon have our first election by email ballot. Beverly Levett Gerber and Susei Metcalf are both running for the office of President-Elect. Members will be sent a ballot by Susan Loesl and will also vote on proposed revisions to the Special Needs By-Laws.

Special Needs presentations covered a range of topics from pre-service teacher training to accessing information about art and special education on the Internet. Barbara Suplee described a program at the University of the Arts ( Philadelphia , PA ) that goes far beyond one three-credit course about special education students. Graduate fellowship students in the Service Learning Program are placed in schools, health care facilities, and agencies for a total of forty-five hours a semester. The students gain hands-on experience, develop their interpersonal skills, and the community benefits from the graduate students' involvement.

Priscilla A. Lund ( Montana State University , Bozeman , Montana ), described a survey of teachers' experiences with exceptional learners, “Teaching Art and Exceptionality.” Teachers felt comfortable using the same art curriculum and media (unless there were safety issues) with exceptional students and preferred a “community of learners” to separate segregated tables. Although teachers found the first weeks of school were difficult, teaching became easier as they got to know more about their students. Some teachers expressed concerns about the extra work involved and paraprofessionals who did the student's work for them. Lund shared many helpful suggestions from the survey. One solution was to have paraprofessionals keep written records of students' activities in notebooks kept in the classroom. This became a win-win solution because students could do their own artwork and teachers got observation records. Students also benefited when given opportunities to make choices and when teachers “recognized their comfort level.”

Joyce Centfanti (Adama State College, Alamosa , Colorado ), reviewed the Federal laws that led to “Inclusion in Your Classroom.” She described strategies for working with students with special needs and stressed that teachers work with “the person, not the label.” Centofanti uses alternative methods when teaching and has found that “Power Point” presentations help students with dyslexia. She uses both verbal and non-verbal praise and suggests that art teachers check and, if possible, participate in writing students' IEPs. Above all, “Be Patient,” “Be Calm,” and “Be Positive.”

From the beginning, a goal of the Special Needs Issues Group has been to have a website for information about special education students and the arts. At last, such a website exists ( www.southernct.edu/~gerber/SEDarts/ ). Beverly Levett Gerber described categories found on “ A Special Web-site for Art Education and Special Needs Students.” There is information about: art for special education organizations (with links to their websites); special education/arts conferences; journal and text references (this list keeps growing); NAEA and CEC (Council for Exceptional Children) conference presentations; past NAEA “Special Needs” columns; and more.

Mandy Yeager added still more resources on a website that she developed at the University of North Texas . Yeager's focus was on disability awareness and beliefs about disabilities that exist in popular culture. She described the work of artists with disabilities and suggested ways that their work can be incorporated in the curriculum. More information can be obtained on Yeager's website http://people.unt.edu/~say0005/ .

If you would like to become a member of the NAEA Special Needs Issues Group, please contact Susan Loesl, Milwaukee Public Schools , 4153 N. 62 nd St. , Milwaukee , WI 53216 or e-mail loeslsd@milwaukee.k12.wi.bus .