THE ART OF ACCESS:
Our Professional Development Offerings
For those who are seeking to authentically invite, engage, and include the disability community in their classrooms, programming, and organizational culture, our professional development opportunities offer a framework for building connections, community, and relationships that move beyond traditional attitudes and ideas about accessibility.
Upstream Arts’ interactive trainings first unpack the ways you are already promoting access and inclusion, then engage your innate creativity to amplify and diversify the ways in which people with disabilities are included and welcomed into your work.
Educators, support staff, program directors, teaching artists, and organizational leaders all emerge from an Upstream Arts training with new engagement strategies, curriculum/programming ideas, and inclusive practices to cultivate inclusion among people of all abilities in classrooms, workplaces, and public events, regardless of sector. Our approach is non-judgmental, interactive, and fun!
WE BELIEVE
ACCESS IS AN ATTITUDE.
Upstream Arts’ Professional Development Training Models are designed and adapted for:
Educators, Teachers, Aides, Support Staff, and District Leadership in PreK-12 or Adult Learning
Disability, Social Service Organizations, Direct Support Professionals, Program Directors, & Organizational Leadership
Nonprofit Organizations, Small Businesses, & Corporations
The Art of Access
The Art of Access offers tools and best practices for universally designing educational programming, arts events, and community spaces to be more accessible and welcoming for individuals of all ages and abilities. We present a guide for preparing your environment, culture, and curriculum to be the most accessible for the most diverse community. We break down the elements and look closely at them through a lens we call S.M.I.L.E – Sensory, Movement, Identity, Language, Experience. When we are prepared, when we S.M.I.L.E., we can truly begin to develop rich connections and relationships.
The Art of Engagement
In The Art of Engagement we look at the practice of authentically engaging our students, colleagues, and clients through a cyclical, three step process: Connect. Converse Collaborate. How do we find that initial spark of a connection? How do we build on that connection through exploration and the development of a shared language? How do we use the common ground that we’ve established to work together and accomplish something? We believe that it’s in the small, everyday, ordinary moments where true inclusion begins. We show you the possibilities of what can happen if you practice your daily interactions with mindful intention, and a little bit of creativity.
The Art of Voice and Choice
The Art of Voice and Choice explores the tenets of Person Centered Planning and Informed Choice, inclusive practices designed to place individuals with disabilities in control of their own choices and ensuring they are living, learning, working, and enjoying life in the most integrated setting. Participants in The Art of Voice and Choice trainings gain a better understanding of the value and necessity of choice.
This training is designed for people who receive disability services and the people who support them: direct support professionals, parents, caregivers, guardians, residential providers, employers, and community members.
LEARN MORE:
Upstream Arts offers two-hour and half day trainings; series of trainings over time; and embedded professional development during our residency programs. Pricing varies based on type and length of training.
*The Art of Engagement is also available as a six-part video series designed for you to discover new ideas and reflect on your own practice.
To learn more, please contact Julie Guidry, Executive Director, at (612) 331-4584 or [email protected].
Upstream Arts uses such a creative approach that is engaging and informative, yet gentle and inviting for all participants. Through their personal stories, Julie and Matt illustrate that people with disabilities are people first and model simple ways to make everyone feel welcomed and valued. I now have a deeper understanding of ‘Art of Access.’