Table Of ContentHandbook of arts Education
and spEcial Education
The Handbook of Arts Education and Special Education brings together, for the first time in a single
reference volume, policy, research, and practices in special education and arts education synthe-
sized to inform stakeholders across a broad spectrum of education. This handbook encompasses
arts education for students with disabilities, from pre-K through transition to postsecondary ed-
ucation and careers as well as community arts education, with particular attention to conceptual
foundations; research-based practices; professional standards; students’ cognitive, artistic, and so-
cial growth; career education; and future directions for research and practice in special education
and arts education.
Jean B. Crockett is Professor of Special Education and former Director of the School of Special
Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida. Her
publications address special education leadership and policy, and the education of students with
disabilities in and through the arts.
Sharon M. Malley is a special educator, art educator, and artist, and previously a special education
specialist for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She led the special educa-
tion team contributing to the development of the National Core Arts Standards and works on
initiatives of national significance for arts and special education.
Handbook of arts
Education and
spEcial Education
policy, research, and practices
Edited by Jean B. Crockett and Sharon M. Malley
First published 2018
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Taylor & Francis
The right of Jean B. Crockett and Sharon M. Malley to be identified as the authors of the editorial
material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested.
ISBN: 978-1-138-66959-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-66960-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-61813-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by codeMantra
contEnts
Preface viii
List of Contributors xi
Section i
Setting the context for educating Students
with Disabilities in the Arts 1
1 The Changing Landscape of Arts Education and Special Education 3
Jean B. Crockett and Michael Blakeslee
2 Conceptual and Historical Foundations of Education in and through the
Arts for Students with Disabilities 16
Sharon M. Malley
3 Collaboration between Special Education and Arts Education:
Negotiating Standards for Teachers and Students 32
Sharon M. Malley
4 Creativity, Disability, Diversity, and Inclusion 45
Karen Keifer-Boyd
Section ii
ensuring an Appropriate education in the Visual
and Performing Arts 57
5 Legal Aspects of Teaching Students with Disabilities in the Arts 59
Jean B. Crockett
v
Contents
6 Using Evidence-Based Practice in Teaching Students with and at Risk for
Developing Disabilities 72
Bryan G. Cook, Jamie Simpson-Steele, and Lysandra H. Cook
7 Preparing to Teach Students with Disabilities in and through the Arts 91
Juliann B. Dorff
8 Utilizing Paraeducators: Issues and Strategies for Supporting Students with
Disabilities in Arts Education 105
Ritu V. Chopra, Diane Carroll, and Sharon K. Manjack
Section iii
Developing Students’ Artistic, Academic, and Personal Growth 129
9 Inclusion and Disability in Visual Arts Education 131
Michelle Kraft
10 Including Students with Disabilities in Music Education 153
Alice-Ann Darrow and Mary Adamek
11 Dance Education for Students with Disabilities 166
Jenny Seham
12 Including Students with Disabilities in Theater Education 184
Sally Bailey
13 Arts Integration and Special Education 196
Alida Anderson and Katherine A. Berry
14 Arts in the Therapeutic Process: Art Therapy, Dance/Movement Therapy,
and Music Therapy in Schools 216
Mary Adamek and Alice-Ann Darrow
Section iV
Arts education and community Living 233
15 Community Arts for Youth with Disabilities 235
Donalyn Heise
16 Perspectives of Young Artists with Disabilities: Negotiating Identity 248
Erin J. Hoppe
17 Family Perspectives on Access to Arts Education for Students with Disabilities 267
Ryan M. Hourigan and Alice M. Hammel
vi
Contents
18 Career and Workforce Development in the Arts for Youth with Disabilities 278
Michael W. Harvey and John D. Kemp
19 International Perspectives on Arts Education and Special Education:
Views from the Field 298
Donald DeVito, with Gertrude Bien Aime, Hannah Ehrli, Abijah Bertrand, and
Gloria Valladares
Section V
emerging trends and Future Directions in Arts
education and Special education 311
20 The Impact of Technology Innovations at the Intersection of Arts
Education and Special Education 313
Kimberly McCord and Sharon M. Malley
21 Educating Students in and through the Arts: The Need for
Research and Evaluation 332
Rob Horowitz
22 Trends and Issues Influencing Arts Education for Students with Disabilities 342
Jean B. Crockett and Sharon M. Malley
Index 359
vii
prEfacE
What do arts educators need to know about special education, and what do special educators need
to know about arts education? These questions lie at the heart of this collection of chapters. This
handbook is based on the premise that all students need opportunities to learn in and through
the arts, regardless of abilities. In addition to fostering artistic development, arts education can
spark curiosity and stimulate the capacity of young people “to imagine, investigate, construct,
and reflect as unique beings committed to giving meaning to their experiences” (NCCAS, 2016,
p. 17). We believe that cultivating these habits of mind is essential to educating the whole child
in the 21st century.
Arts education provides students with disabilities, who receive special education and often
struggle to succeed in other disciplines, with opportunities to convey sophisticated ideas and
experience personal validation. Emerging evidence also suggests the power of arts education to
enhance their learning and life outcomes, although more research is needed to understand how
students with disabilities actually engage in arts education and how effectively arts educators
engage in their instruction. With regard to shared work and mutual understanding at the inter-
section of arts education and special education, there is much to be learned.
A dynamic community of researchers, practitioners, and leaders of professional arts and special
education organizations has formed in recent years to strengthen the knowledge base supporting
well-designed learning opportunities in the arts for students with disabilities. The community’s
formation began with national forums held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Perform-
ing Arts and its affiliate VSA in the summers of 2012 and 2013 (Malley & Silverstein, 2014).
Forum participants, invited for their expertise in arts education and/or special education, shared
their knowledge, identified trends, and made recommendations for the development of a national
agenda, establishing the arts as an essential component of the education of students with disabilities.
A key recommendation arising from the forums was the need for publications highlighting policy,
practice, and research at the interdisciplinary juncture of both fields. In response, the chapters in
this collection make a unique contribution to the existing literature.
This handbook is designed to address an interdisciplinary audience concerned with the i nclusion
and education of students with disabilities in the arts. Relevant articles in peer-reviewed journals
are difficult to find as they are scattered among professional journals representing various areas
of arts education and arts therapies, and those devoted to various special education topics. Books
addressing the subject of students with disabilities in the arts typically provide applied knowledge
for practitioners in a specific arts education field, such as music or theater. In contrast, chapters
in this volume incorporate in-depth analysis of research, practice, and policies, incorporating
viii
Preface
content related to special education with content across the major arts education disciplines of
music, dance, theater, and visual and media arts.
The chapters in the volume offer an overview of the foundational knowledge informing the
practice of art education related to special education in today’s schools. Thus, this handbook is
designed to meet the informational needs of influential stakeholders, including teachers and ad-
ministrators of arts education and special education, school principals, policy makers, parents, and
community members who need accessible, research-based information to guide their decisions.
We asked our contributors to synthesize important information related to arts education for
students with disabilities from pre-K through transition into postsecondary educational settings,
as well as in community arts education, with particular attention to (a) research-based practices;
(b) professional standards; (c) students’ cognitive, artistic, and social growth; (d) career education;
and (e) future directions for research and practice in special education and arts education. To ad-
dress cultural relevance and differing perspectives within the context of a multicultural society,
we also asked authors to incorporate material related to cultural, gender, and linguistic diversity.
We have organized the handbook into five sections. Some issues do not have a specific chapter
devoted to them because they are addressed within many chapters. Readers should not assume that
if a topic does not have a dedicated chapter, the handbook does not address it.
The first section sets the context for educating students with disabilities in the arts by ex-
amining the current landscape, historical foundations, professional standards, and collaborative
approaches as well as definitions and attitudes related to creativity, disability, diversity, and inclu-
sion. The second section provides a foundation for ensuring an appropriate education for students
with disabilities in the arts by exploring the legal foundations of special education, the use of
evidence-based practice, approaches to teacher preparation, and paraeducator guidance. The third
section examines learning opportunities for special education students, with chapters devoted
to the topics of visual arts, music, dance, and theater as well as chapters on arts integration and
arts therapies. The fourth section is devoted to arts education and community living, examining
community-based arts learning opportunities, the experiences of young artists with disabilities,
the perspectives of family members, careers in the arts for youth with disabilities, and the per-
spectives of arts and special education teachers engaged in an inclusive international development
project. The fifth section examines emerging trends in technology, including media arts, the need
for research and evaluation, and a final chapter on trends and issues that are influencing the future
of arts education for students with disabilities.
Although we attempted to address important issues at the intersection of arts education and
special education, we know there is always more to say. Our hope is that this collection of chapters
will help to link research with the practice of engaging young people with disabilities in learning
through the arts in their schools and communities.
We thank our chapter authors for working across disciplines with us on this project. Their
efforts were central to this compilation of research-based information to guide informed decisions
about arts education for special education students. Their dedication to this project allows us to
contribute a percentage of proceeds from the book to the Division of Visual and Performing Arts
Education of the Council for Exceptional Children in support of an award for researchers whose
work advances the education of students with disabilities in the arts.
Finally, we express appreciation for the encouragement and support of our editor at Routledge,
Alex Masulis, who suggested this project to us, supported us in the process, and encouraged us
in our desire to contribute to the advancement of arts education and special education, informed
by the wisdom of practice and the power of educational research. Editorship for this volume was
shared equally between us, with each assuming leadership in different aspects of development.
JBC
SMM
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