Visually impaired Utah students push for accessibility in the arts

"Songs in the Key of Free" is a program in a Pennsylvania prison brings together inmates to play music and write songs that they perform inside, while professional musicians also play the songs in venues outside prison. The program is just a year old and is based on a successful theater program in California that cut recidivism rates and helped decrease prison infractions. The founders of "Songs in the Key of Free" are creating an album of the work, but after that, future funding is unclear.

Several charter school networks have found that a strict and structured approach to instruction, while it may be improving test scores, is not resulting in the anticipated increase in timely college completion rates for its alumni. One network is piloting a new model that aims to develop more adaptable, "independent thinkers" by encouraging "self-directed learning." Can the introduction of online learning tools, immersive career discovery trips, and increased parent involvement into the current charter school environment help students down the road?

Lethality assessments have proven effective at avoiding domestic violence homicides and such a tool might have saved a Vermont woman who was murdered. The 11 questions help victims understand the danger they are in and also help law enforcement connect them with services. But officers in many counties in Vermont are either not using the tool or not doing it systematically even though an advocacy organization has pushed for its implementation and even when police chiefs embrace its use.

Museums all over the country are trying to attract diverse audiences. One of those is the Frick museum in New York which has a program called the Ghetto Film School project. Twenty students from the Bronx are selected to attend a weekly discussion-based seminar. At the end, students must write a script. “The winning script is turned into a movie and filmed at the museum.” “People should feel they can go to museums, learn something, and improve their lives in doing so.”

An initiative in House schools that gives students access to the arts in the classroom has positively affected students' ability to concentrate, write, and even show compassion to one another. The initiative, known as the Houston Arts Access Initiative, encourages schools to provide exposure to dance, music, and visual arts to encourage creative and kind interaction.

Abortion is often stigmatized, but women across the United States are finding that speaking out about their experiences is impacting the conversation in very tangible ways. From peer mentoring to changing the platforms of politicians, the women participating in the national movement is to change the conversation and enact policy change.

By making listening and communication a priority, employers can improve employee retention. In Ohio, Mansfield Plumbing Products designated an employee liaison whose job is to listen to employees and facilitate communication between workers and management. By implementing clear communication channels, employers can better learn how to address their workers' needs.

The Prison Arts Initiative program, jointly run by the Colorado prison system and University of Denver, puts personal expression through visual and performing arts at the heart of the prisons' mission to become less punitive and more rehabilitative. With exhibits like "Chained Voices," featuring paintings by incarcerated people, the program aims to give hope to people by making them feel seen and valued as fully human. Formerly incarcerated artists say they valued not only the personal growth they experienced, but also the knowledge that their art could change public perceptions of the people in prison.

Sanbornton Connect is a local information exchange and social network for aging residents who share advice about meeting the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of living out their years independently in their own homes. The network started just before the pandemic, but quickly filled a vacuum left by the community's shutdown. Three dozen residents gather monthly on Zoom to trade tips and hear from experts. The goal is to provide personal connections in a sparsely populated town, and in a way that helps people plan before they're in a crisis as their health declines.

The Mary Lyon School is a “full-inclusion school” designed to give students — especially those with special needs, including emotional and behavioral disabilities — the necessary resources and supports to see positive outcomes with their education. The Mary Lyon School uses community-based approaches and philosophies rooted in inclusion to stay connected with students and their families to help guide them toward their graduation day.