A disability is often thought to be something in which disables a person, be it a mentally or physically. I believe that to be untrue. Martina Navratilova once said, “Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone.”
An article that I have recently read, All the World's a Stage... and Now All Children Can Play on It!, speaks about a woman and her quest to teach children acting techniques and help them perform. She double majored in Elementary Education and Theatre. She applied methods that were helpful for the children offstage as well as onstage. They were more focused and could follow directions more accurately. They cooperated with one another and communicated more clearly. They displayed more awareness of their emotions and the emotions of others. Their self-esteem improved “dramatically”!
Later on the woman began to work with special needs children in a variety of settings. She worked specifically with developmental delays. She had been a consultant teacher at a New York City public school in a special education (MIS II) reading classroom, she volunteered in various art therapy groups with the mentally ill and was running her own sixth grade classroom with many mainstreamed students. She began to wonder, what could drama do for these types of children? In 1996, she and another and a fellow employee/teacher co-founded a program that would fuse theatre arts and special education. The program was called, S.T.A.G.E.S. (Special Theatre Arts Group for Exceptional Students), which has become an incredible artistic outlet for children with special needs. It has also been extremely beneficial to the students social, as well as their intellectual growth and development. They are completely immersed in social situations through their experiences with the art of theatre. According to the article, the students learn to cooperate and socialize as they develop and perform scenes as well as act as audience members and critique one another. Drama techniques such as relaxation methods, pantomime and focus exercises teach impulse control, anger /anxiety management, concentration, and the ability to follow directions. Theatre games teach kids to make eye contact, project and modify their voices, communicate effectively, initiate and sustain dialogue, use appropriate emotions and affect, and creatively problem-solve.
S.T.A.G.E.S. has given special needs children a place for self-expression without fear of criticism. The special needs child, who is often isolated because of his “unique” way of thinking, is embraced at S.T.A.G.E.S. As far as the class size is concerned, it consists of and is limited to 10 students. The student-teacher ratio is small, allowing for maximum individualized attention. Creativity flourishes in a highly structured environment. All students know what to expect and what is expected of them. All children are treated with respect in an informal and friendly atmosphere.
“Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourself a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles”
-Helen Keller
