C'ville District Chair Featured on NBC29 News

Poetry Gives AHS Class Freedom of Expression
Reported by Claire O'Brien on April 23, 2008 04:56 PM

When you're mad, you yell. When you're happy, you laugh. But what if a disability got in the way of expressing how you feel? One program is opening up a world of expression for some very special students.

The words are flowing from the Albemarle High School students we visited, but they weren't in your everyday English class. These students had something standing in the way of expressing how they feel: they all have autism.

"For a teenager to have a significant disability is huge, especially if it impacts their social skills, their communication, their sense of self," said special education teacher Leah Fechtmann.

Through poems, the students are able to express feelings that they may not be able to verbalize. They get extra help from Rose Williams, Miss Wheelchair Virginia. The students choose words that describe their inner feelings, then they put those feelings into poetry.

According to Williams, "It builds self-esteem. It builds their self-esteem and self-worth."

When they're better able to express what they can do, they don't focus so much on what they can't. "We were seeing their struggles. When they finally verbalized their struggles they went on to their feelings of being valued and appreciated, which were much, much larger," shared Fechtman.

Williams said, "They're so proud of their accomplishment, by doing that." Link: http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=8216722&nav=menu496_2_4

Seventh Poetry Book Released by VSA arts of Virginia - Charlottesville

VSA Arts of Charlottesville Albemarle announces the release of their seventh Poetry Book, See Always With Your Heart, written by individuals with disabilities and their caregivers in central Virginia. See Always With Your Heart originates in the love of human experiences and imagination. The publication is a result of an ongoing poetry project sponsored by the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County Parks and Recreation Departments, in collaboration with the Charlottesville/Albemarle VSA Arts. The project promotes writing, creativity skills and the therapeutic value of poetry for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers.

Serving as an inspiring collection of one hundred and seventeen poems and short stories, See Always With Your Heart, is written and designed by individuals who want to share their daily accomplishments, as well as struggles, taking you along on their journey. As the title of the book suggest the writers hope the general public will accept them at a heart felt level and not judge them based on outward appearance. The seventy-eight writers represented in See Always With Your Heart represent a much broader voice . . . . . . .they speak for the 58 million Americans with disabilities, the fastest growing minority group that affects one in five households.

The book can be purchased for a $10.00 donation at the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department in the City Hall Annex, E. Market Street or by calling 434-970-3264. Anyone interested in helping to promote all forms of art for individuals with disabilities may join the Charlottesville/Albemarle VSA Arts Committee. The committee works closely with VSA Arts of Virginia, an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, dedicated to promoting the creative power in people with disabilities. For program information, call Mildred Spicer (434) 970-3264, Jean Wilhelm (434) 296-3518 or Sarah Blech (434) 975-9400.