A New Kind of Listening » News Items

Polly at 2011 TASH Conference

kenny — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:23:21 +0000

Being at national TASH last week was an amazing experience: 1000 advocates from all over, 100’s of presentations, and lots of interesting and unique side events. Participants at my session about how to start an inclusive arts project were enthusiastic, and especially enjoyed the playful improv segment. Now I have a great workshop to share with people in other communities. Thanks to Christina Mueller, Dick Harmsen, Chris Radcliffe, and my family for help and support. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday from polly….

Film Receives Award at Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival

kenny — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:22:37 +0000

At the Closing Ceremony of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Polly received the “Humanitarian Award”. Thanks to the festival for honoring the film and its powerful message of inclusion. And thanks to everyone who helped in telling this important story and has supported the Inclusive Arts Campaign.

26th Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival – Post Screening Report

kenny — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:41:50 +0000

At Cinema Paradiso on November 11th, during the closing day of the 26th Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, A New Kind of Listening was given a standing ovation. Polly attended the Q&A and shared two comments from the audience: “This film should be seen by every human on the planet” offered one;and another said, “the film was incredibly moving and shifted my whole perspective on life.” Thanks to the festival for their support. The live audio description at the event was the first for the festival, and helped increase community awareness of arts accessibility issues.

See Polly’s interview on the Red Carpet here…

Polly Medlicott A Guest Blogger at TASH

kenny — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:47:06 +0000

Check out Polly’s guest blog entry at the TASH website. Polly will be attending the upcoming 2011 TASH Conference and participating in a Cross Topic Session on Friday, December 2nd @ 9:45am.

Library Journal Review, “Strongly Recommended”

kenny — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:36:13 +0000

The following review appears in the August 2011 issue of “Library Journal”:

Theater director Robert Reho and his Community Inclusive Theater Group of actors/dancers working in North Carolina certainly have learned how to listen to people with disabilities. Group member Chris, a 20-year-old man with cerebral palsy once labeled retarded, expresses himself with the aid of a Facilitated Communication Lightwriter. His thoughts and reactions are central to the troupe’s production of The Song That Greens the Earth, an amalgam of not only Chris’s work but also the poetry of Eve Hanf-Enos, who is autistic, the dance movements of Laura Spray, who also is autistic, and the poetry of Megan Jones, who is learning disabled. This beautifully successful plea for the inclusive arts movement is strongly recommended for collections serving special populations and those in the arts. Difficult to forget, it should offer inspiration for parents and teachers of special needs children.
—Ernest Jaeger, formerly with North Plainfield Schs., NJ

Inclusive Arts Coalition: Lunch and Learn Aug 17th

kenny — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:34:49 +0000

Arts Access, Inc. is one of our great NC supporters and a wonderful advocacy for inclusive arts. They will be hosting a gathering of people interested in issues related to arts and disability on August 17th from 12-1pm. The lunch gathering will be held at the Alliance for Disability Advocates conference room at 401 Oberlin Road, Suite 103, Raleigh, NC 27605. This will be one of many future gatherings that will offer opportunities to network, share resources, and unite in advocacy issues. Please bring your own lunch and Arts Access will provide desert and beverages. For more info visit the Arts Access website here or call 919-833-9919 to rsvp.

Official Selection Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival

kenny — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 01:01:40 +0000

A New Kind of Listening has been selected to screen at the 26th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. The festival takes place between Oct. 21 – Nov. 11, 2011. We look forward to sharing more details about our screening date and hope to network with artists and advocates in the months leading up to the festival screening.

June Screening at Arizona TASH Conference

kenny — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:06:06 +0000

Margaret Heath attended a screening at the 7th Annual Arizona Inclusive Schools Conference on June 6th in Phoenix. The conference was organized by Arizona Wins With Inclusive Schools, a special project sponsored by Arizona TASH.

The conference was well attended by educators, parents and self-advocates. But most significantly, had several keynotes and break-out sessions by those speaking “from the inside out” – this was a phrase Laura Nagle used in describing her journey with autism. A New Kind of Listening fit right in to the themes of self-advocacy, inclusive communities and teaching environments; and the film was warmly received and inspired several people to think of how they might pursue an inclusive arts project of their own. It was particularly encouraging to the group of people producing a documentary about Laura Nagle’s life.

Thanks to Sherry Mulholland, Andrea O’Brien and Susan Black for inviting us to the Conference.

Big Turn-Out for Inclusive Arts in Asheville!

kenny — Tue, 31 May 2011 21:48:33 +0000

Polly coordinated workshop on May 22nd on inclusive arts education that drew an enthusiastic crowd of over 30 artists, arts educators, individuals and artists with disabilities, and family members to the exciting new River Arts District in Asheville, NC. The workshop, “Finding the Ability in Disability through Art”, was sponsored through Arts Access NC, and made possible by VSA South Carolina, the State Organization on Arts and Disability and through a Collaborative Innovative Grant from VSA International. W. Lavone Griffin, theater artist and inclusive arts education specialist with VSA South Carolina, led the workshop. Plans are afoot for a networking and brainstorming group of Asheville arts educators who want to be more inclusive.

Shown in Photo: LaVone Griffin of VSA SC, Polly and Julia Brown, Ex. Dir. of VSA South Carolina

Inclusive Arts in Siler City, NC

kenny — Thu, 05 May 2011 23:03:50 +0000

See a short video about “The Search for the Artist Within”, an inclusive arts initiative in Siler City, North Carolina. Artists Rahkie Mateen and Roger Person share about their inclusive arts workshop at the Wingnut Gallery and how the Inclusive Arts Campaign associated with A New Kind of Listening inspired their project

Watch the Video on YouTube