President's Message (September 8, 2026)
Hello DARTS members!
Welcome to a new school year! We have many DARTS opportunities to share.
One thing that I am excited about is the DISES 2027 International Conference which will take place June 15–18, 2027, in beautiful Marrakech, Morocco. Learn more here: https://dises-cec.org/events/2027-dises-conference DISES has incorporated the arts in their conference strands in hopes of seeing more DARTS members attend and present. Ever thought about sharing your work internationally? Now might be the time.
Possible DARTS @ DISES topics include:
- Inclusive arts education across educational settings
- Arts-based research and participatory methodologies
- Adaptive arts practices and accessible creative technologies
A big hello to the newest DARTS member Samantha Basave Estrada!
Elections
We will hold officer elections to fill the roles of Secretary, Membership, Representative Assembly (1 position), and Student Representative. The successful candidates will begin their service at the CEC Convention in Columbus, Ohio in 2027.
Please send:
- Professional photo
- Affiliation Information
- Paragraph biography
- Paragraph description of interest in the position and connection to the DARTS mission
- Confirm active membership in DARTS
- Email Subject: DARTS Election Materials
Nomination Timeline:
- October 2, 2026 – Materials due to Kathleen Farrand ([email protected]), past president of DARTS
- October 9 -23, 2026 – Election Open (online) & Candidate information appears in DARTS membership email
- October 26, 2026 – Officer announced at the June DARTS Board Meeting and then to membership
Officer Duties and Descriptions:
Please click on the link below to access the DARTS Bylaws for complete descriptions of each position.
https://darts.exceptionalchildren.org/bylaws
Secretary (2-year term)
- Coordinates with the President to plan for the annual business meeting.
- Records, prepares, and maintains a record of approved minutes for board and membership meetings.
- Maintains custody of the organization’s records, including these bylaws.
Membership Chair (2-year term)
- Reviews membership data, tracks trends, and reports findings to the board.
- Develops and executes membership recruitment and retention efforts through engagement.
- Supports CEC in member recruitment and retention programs.
- Supports the onboarding/welcoming of new members through outreach and welcome letters.
Representative Assembly (2-year term)
- Attends as the DARTS representatives at the annual meeting of the Representative Assembly at the CEC convention.
- Provides input to the CEC Board on positions it is considering on issues related to the field and profession, strategic direction, policy initiatives, and other similar issues.
- Reports regularly to the Board of Directors on activities of the Representative Assembly.
- Communicates division issues to the Representative Assembly.
Student Chair (1-year term)
- Engages the student members of the division and encourages active involvement.
- Represents the student members of the division at meetings of the Board of Directors
DARTS Awards
DARTS is delighted to open nominations for our 2026/2027 awards beginning September 4, 2026.
This year, we invite our community to recognize extraordinary educators and leaders while also introducing a new opportunity to celebrate the artists in our community. Nominations for all three awards will remain open through November 29, 2026.
We hope you will take a moment to consider the educators, leaders, advocates, and student artists whose work deserves to be seen and celebrated.
DARTS Arts Educator Award
The DARTS Arts Educator Award honors an educator who models the extraordinary possibilities of teaching through the arts. We seek to celebrate colleagues whose courageous belief that the arts belong to every learner has made the lives of students with disabilities and differences richer, more hopeful, and filled with opportunities for expression, agency, achievement, and joy.
Nominations: September 4–November 29, 2026
DARTS Lifetime Achievement Award
The DARTS Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a lifetime of instruction, leadership, scholarship, creativity, and advocacy at the intersection of the arts and special education. We celebrate individuals whose careers have helped create a field in which more students can create, perform, imagine, communicate, belong, and contribute through the arts.
Nominations: September 4–November 29, 2026
Introducing the DARTS Artist in Residence Award
New this year, the DARTS Artist in Residence Award celebrates a student artist whose work invites us to see, hear, feel, or imagine something new. Open to artists from sixth grade through graduate school, the award recognizes creativity, artistic voice, growth, and sustained commitment to a creative practice.
The selected artist will serve as the DARTS Artist in Residence for one academic year, with their work featured three to five times in DARTS communications. Through visual art, music, dance, theater, writing, photography, film, digital media, or another creative form, we hope to give an artist space to tell a story and our community the opportunity to encounter their work throughout the year.
Nominations: September 4–November 29, 2026
Join the DARTS Awards Committee
Interested in helping us celebrate the remarkable educators, leaders, and artists within our community? We invite DARTS members to join the 2026 DARTS Awards Committee. This will be a fun opportunity to build community with fellow members, encounter inspiring work from across our field, and help us recognize colleagues and artists whose contributions are to be celebrated this year.
If you are interested in joining the committee, please email [email protected]. We can’t do this work without you!
Thank you for helping us recognize the remarkable people who make our field more imaginative and inspired.
CEC Convention 2027
March 10, 2027 - March 13, 2027 Columbus, Ohio
Be on the lookout for the second call for posters and teacher exchange September 18-October 16. We would love to see more DARTS members presenting at CEC!
Journal of the Arts and Special Education (JASE)
The August 2026 special issue for the Journal of the Arts and Special Education (JASE) is out now! You can read it on the JASE website (https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jase/).
JASE is currently accepting manuscripts (research articles, community partnership articles, and practitioner papers) and cover art. Learn more about submitting to JASE here (https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jase/policies.html).
If you are interested in being a peer reviewer for JASE, reach out to David Miranda through email ([email protected]) for more information.
Opportunities
Upcoming related conferences
- ALL AZ Summit, Phoenix, AZ, September 11, 2026
- NDEO Conference, Albuquerque, NM, September 24-27, 2026
- NAfME Biennial Conference: Long Beach, CA, September 30 to October 3, 2026
- AEAI Conference, Goshen, IN, November 7, 2026
- CEC TED, Denver, CO, November 10-13, 2026
- TASH Conference, Philadelphia, PA, December 3–5, 2026
- ATIA Conference, Orlando, FL, January 22-24, 2027
- NAEA Convention, New York City, March 4–6, 2027
PLC Opportunities
- Arts Learning Lab (ALL)
Arts Learning Lab (ALL) is a monthly virtual series for educators interested in increasing access to arts education opportunities in Idaho. This professional learning community is committed to building statewide connections, provide the tools necessary to deepen arts instruction, and explore ways to support sustainable arts programs across the state. Sessions are recorded and made available through an online resource library. All sessions begin at 4:30 PM MST.
Webinars
- NASET: Disability Rights and the Classroom, NAS
Sep 16, 2026 07:00 PM EST
Join Dr. Michael Ashley Stein, Co-Founder of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability and a drafter of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, on where the rights of students with disabilities come from and where they're headed. FREE
https://learn.naset.com/disability-rights
Student Members of DARTS
Are you a student? Don’t miss our first student social! Join us on September 9 at 7:00 PM CT / 8:00 PM ET for an evening to connect with fellow students in the arts and special education community! This virtual gathering offers a chance to meet new colleagues and exchange ideas about the future of art education.
If you haven't done so already, join our WhatsApp group with this link
More information: [email protected]
DARTS Ambassadors
Are you passionate about bridging the gap between the arts and special education?DARTS is looking for dedicated individuals to join our team as State Ambassadors. This is a unique opportunity to help lead initiatives that foster inclusive arts environments and support students with disabilities nationwide. As a State Ambassador, you will build networks, share resources, and advocate for multisensory, accessible arts pedagogy in your region. Whether your background is in music, visual arts, dance, or drama, your expertise can help shape a more inclusive future for all learners.
How to Apply: If you are interested in representing your state and making a meaningful impact in the field of arts and special education, we want to hear from you. Please contact Cody Puckett at [email protected].
News from our members…
Shared Canvas Exhibition Celebrates Creativity, Community, and Inclusion in Greater Lafayette
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Shared Canvas: Celebrating Diverse Abilities, a community-based art exhibition, brought together artwork by individuals with disabilities at the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette.
The exhibition featured artists adult day centers, Wabash Center, Shine On University, and Life Has No Boundaries, creating a public platform for diverse artistic voices and perspectives. The exhibition celebrates creativity while emphasizing art as a powerful medium for inclusion, cultural expression, and public engagement.
Curated by Sedigheh Fathollahzadeh and Jasmine Begeske, Shared Canvas reflects a collaborative effort to increase the visibility of artists with disabilities within the Greater Lafayette community. By presenting their work in a museum environment, the exhibition encourages audiences to engage with the artists through their creativity, individual perspectives, and artistic expression.
Thank you for all you do to make the arts meaningful and inclusive for each and every student!
DARTS- Division of Visual and Performing Arts Education
Check out our website! https://darts.exceptionalchildren.org/