I own approximately 70 different pairs of adapted scissors. Why scissors? As an art therapist who spent 30 years helping special education students in Milwaukee Public Schools express themselves independently, I always found scissors to be the most challenging adapted tool to match to students. I could fashion a grip for a pencil using a milk carton or some newspaper and tape, but the way students hold and operate scissors is often unique to each of them.
I became passionate about finding the right cutting tool for every student, so my collection includes loop scissors that spring apart, tiny scissors for people with small hands, scissors with blunted tips and scissors that don’t even use the traditional opposing blade method of cutting but get pushed across the top of the paper like a computer mouse. I believed that I could find scissors that almost any child could use somewhere in my collection.
I know that other educators may never fall in love with scissor collecting quite like I did but more and more of them are certainly recognizing the need to become familiar with the principles and practices of adapted and accessible art. Since the pandemic, districts around the country have placed more emphasis on social-emotional learning and the need to adapt classroom practices to be accessible to more students.
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The ongoing shortage of special education teachers is also likely contributing to the increased attention on adapted art. Students who used to do art with their special education teacher are now more likely to join general art classes, where they may require some scaffolding.
Whatever brings them there, all students deserve to be welcomed into art class and art-making. Based on my decades of experience, here’s a look at the benefits of adapted art, along with two essential best practices for ensuring the art spaces and materials in your district support self-expression for every student.
Benefits of accessible art
Simply put, accessible art is the practice of adapting the media, techniques or tools of an art project so that any student can be as independently creative as possible. My primary experience has been working with students who have physical challenges, but adapted art also provides access for students with cognitive, developmental or emotional challenges.
Adapted art can have important benefits for students well beyond the art classroom. Often, students who have physical challenges will discover that they can be much more independently creative when they use an adapted grip on a pencil, marker, or crayon, and will begin using those tools in their academic classes.
Some students face social or emotional challenges, and art class is the main reason they come to school. Some students feel free to be expressive in art class, even if they don’t talk about their art. They may simply enjoy making it or journaling about it. They may have a favorite character or favorite colors, and drawing or using them can provide comfort or a feeling of stability that helps them transition between classes or activities. This is also something to keep in mind when considering adaptations for a student. Incorporating the characters or colors a student loves into an art project can help keep them engaged.
Sometimes adapted art can even help with behavioral challenges. I worked with some eighth-grade students who weren’t allowed to use scissors because their teachers feared they would hurt themselves or others. I gave them adapted scissors that only had an inch-long blade. Those scissors slowed them down so they weren’t as impulsive and they had more control as they cut. Their skills and self-esteem both began to improve.
I often tell teachers to build an adapted art kit before students ever make it to their class. Start with a few pairs of commonly helpful adapted scissors, different kinds of pencil grips and some specialized markers and paintbrushes. Then you can fine-tune it over time to better meet the needs of your individual students and the routines and practices of your classroom.
Setting up a universally accessible art classroom
A classroom that is well-planned to meet the needs of a variety of students often ends up being universally accessible to everyone. Spaces that are accessible to students in wheelchairs, for example, also tend to be great for students who like to stand while they work.
Slanted work surfaces can be helpful for these students as well, and higher tables ensure students in wheelchairs have enough room to get close to their workspace. There might be a bucket to provide students access to water, because those in wheelchairs and those who are short may not be able to lean over a sink.
In terms of supplies and media, a well-provisioned adapted art classroom includes buckets or baskets on the table with adapted tools. These include adapted scissors, pencils or paint brushes with grips, smelly markers, triangle-shaped erasers and adapted glue bottles. It’s important to make them accessible to everyone so that the students who need them don’t have to self-identify to use them by asking the teacher or otherwise making it clear that traditional tools and supplies are challenging for them.
I have found that many students find adapted scissors interesting and fun to use whether they need them or not, effectively erasing any stigma associated with using them. When everyone is using these tools, they become cool and no one gets singled out.
Building a community around adapted art
As you plan your physical space, remember that adapted art isn’t just about the tools. Helping students create independently can sometimes be a challenge for support staff or other adults. Communication between the adults in the room is key to ensure that everyone is on the same page about expectations around when to jump in and help students.
At the beginning of a new school year, connect art teachers and special education teachers to discuss students’ strengths and challenges related to art-making. What are students interested in? Do they have a different idea about their strengths and challenges than their teacher?
Art teachers tend to be lone wolves, simply because there is often only one in a school. Administrators can help them build a network by connecting art teachers from around their district to share what they’re doing to make art more accessible for all their students. To gather ideas from around the country, they can join the National Art Education Association’s issue group, Art in Special Education or the Division of Visual and Performing Arts Education (DARTS), which is part of the Council for Exceptional Children.
Just as our students need a little extra support sometimes, so do art teachers, and building a community around accessible art empowers us to help students explore their creativity on their own terms.
