.Adapted Art Activities.

Last night we brought in articles about adapted art equipment that could be used for a variety of populations and types of art projects. We had researched different adaptations and many of the art tools we found were adapted for better grasping (example: bigger, heavier, longer handles on a paintbrush). There were also tables/easels adapted for persons in wheelchairs,whether they were cut out differently or motorized so they could adjust to a person's needs. There were some really sweet hook-ups for wheelchairs that were paint rollers used on big paper sheets on the ground.

Soon after sharing our different ideas, we began making our own adaptations to scissors, paintbrushes, markers, erasers, and pencils. Each group had the opportunity to be innovative and use whatever they wanted to adapt art tools. We made some paint rollers with bubble wrap, a foot attachment with a paintbrush on the end of it, really big stamps, and other bigger supplies. I think I learned in this class that you don't really need to be fancy with adaptations. They don't always have to look really put together, as long as they serve the purpose for which you made them. In TR, we're going to have to think quickly and creatively-outside of the box. I know that I often want my adaptations/creations to look really nice, and that is definitely a good thing, but it's more important for the item to be functional. It's beneficial too, to actually think about different types of people that we will work with. There will be physical/cognitive limitations, but we get to enable them. The focus will be on the ability and the gift, rather than on the restrictions.