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WMOT Helps Celebrate VSA's 40th Anniversary with a Special Program from Irish Radio Near FM

WMOT is helping to celebrate the 40 Anniversary of the founding of VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, which was founded by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to provide arts and education opportunities for people with disabilities and increase access to the arts for all.

With 52 international affiliates and a network of nationwide affiliates, including VSA Tennessee, VSA provides arts and education programming for youth and adults with disabilities around the world.  Each year, 7 million people of all ages and abilities participate in VSA programs, in every aspect of the arts – from visual arts, performing arts, to the literary arts.

Four principles guide VSA programs and affiliates:

  • Every young person with a disability deserves access to high quality arts learning experiences.
  • All artists in schools and art educators should be prepared to include students with disabilities in their instruction.
  • All children, youth, and adults with disabilities should have complete access to cultural facilities and activities.
  • All individuals with disabilities who aspire to careers in the arts should have the opportunity to develop appropriate skills.

As part of this international celebration WMOT is broadcasting a program produced by Padraig Naughton at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Saint Patrick’s Day.  Pádraig presents a special edition of Arts & Disability Radio, which as well as being broadcast in its regular slot on Near FM, a north side community radio station in Ireland’s capital city Dublin, will also be broadcast on WMOT, a public radio station located in Murfreesboro, south of Nashville, Tennessee.  This programme forms part of a two way music exchange between Arts & Disability Ireland and VSA Tennessee, celebrating the 40th anniversary of VSA, which was established by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. 
In this Arts & Disability Radio program presenter Pádraig Naughton will showcase singers, musicians and singer/song writers with disabilities from across the island of Ireland.  His guests include Nicky Kealy, Dylan Tighe, Pat Dam Smyth and Beverly McGeown, Musical Director of the Open Arts Community Choir.  In addition to hearing two songs from each, Pádraig talks to his guests about their musical influences and relevance of disability to their creativity, which generates lively discussions on blind singers as role models, the inclusiveness of disabled and non-disabled people singing together and how mental health issues can be the muse for liberating and insightful lyrics. 

This is just a part of the forty day celebration of VSA’s birthday and WMOT will also be broadcasting the American part of the exchange featuring artists who presented a concert in February.  MTSU professor Michael Fleming recorded this concert and it has been sent to Ireland for broadcast in late March on Near FM.  Lori Kissinger, Executive Director VSA Tennessee, has been key to organizing the 40 days for the 40th anniversary of VSA events that include events and projects from all over the world.  For more information check out http://vsatn.org/