Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc.
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Idaho—Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc. |
Evelyn Mason |
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Tel.: (208) 342-5884 |
Website: |
Organizational Profile:
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Full-time Staff: 2 |
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Idaho Parents Unlimited (IPUL) supports, empowers, educates, and advocates to enhance the quality of life for the residents of Idaho with disabilities and their families. Through its VSA programming, IPUL seeks to empower people with disabilities and to engage them in the creative process through opportunities that are fully inclusive, educational, and participatory.
Programming Partners and Other Funders:
Idaho State Department of Education; Idaho Commission on the Arts; Gene Harris Jazz Festival; Idaho State Independent Living Center; Rocky Canyon Sail Toads
Educational Programs and Artist Residencies
Creative Access: An Artist-in-Residence Program
The Creative Access program has developed over 90 arts in education residencies in Idaho since 1998. The Idaho program has grown to include school districts throughout the state and has produced annual in-depth evaluations on the program and outcomes for individual students and schools. This program provides greatly needed art supplies and other materials along with the paid time of a professional artist to support a fine arts experience in local schools. All program activities are available to students with disabilities.
Cultural Access and Inclusive Arts Services
Cultural Access Activities and Services
Through its partnerships with the Gene Harris Jazz Festival and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and, in the past, with Ballet Idaho and the Arts for Kids programs, IPUL works with various arts groups and partners to provide technical assistance and support, increased cultural access to large events and ongoing local arts programs. Services include assisting organizations to design programs and activities with appropriate supports for people with disabilities; developing behavioral support strategies for students; identifying the appropriate resources for various types of accommodations and/or supports; providing training to artists and administrators on support strategies, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and potential accommodations; and conducting event site surveys. Currently, all cultural access services and activities take place in Treasure Valley, reaching the capital city of Boise and the surrounding areas.
Professional Development and Technical Assistance
Teaching Artists Trainings
The professional development activities provided by IPUL are in two specific categories. The first is to support teachers and artists in the Creative Access artist-in-residence program. The residency sites include preschool and all other grades K-12. The offerings will support Webinar expenses to train teachers and artists in the program mechanics, goals and evaluation methods used in 2010 for the artists-in-residencies. Teachers and artists can take the training anytime once the modules are loaded to the Web site and may call in for additional training for their individual school sites as they develop the artist residencies for students.
Professional Artist Trainings
The second set of training activities are in cooperation with various arts and disability organizations such as the WIPA provider, Disability Rights Idaho, Inc (formerly Comprehensive Advocacy, Inc). In these peer-to-peer workshops information is shared on artist’s professional services, mentoring and disability services planning and resources.
Public Awareness and Outreach
Public Awareness and Outreach Activities
IPUL will carry out several public awareness and outreach activities to bring the opportunities provided under its VSA programming to its target audience. Activities include a student art show at the Idaho statewide youth transition conference “TOOLs for Life” articles in the IPUL newsletter that reach more than 9,000 families of children with disabilities; updating the IPUL Web page; updating and disseminating the IPUL state program brochures to constituents to alert them of opportunities and about the incorporation of VSA activities under IPUL; and presentations to local artists’ groups and disability organizations.
In addition, visual art exhibits occur throughout the year to inform the community of the importance of the arts in the lives of people with disabilities and the wonderful contributions to the arts they can make.
(F) 202-429-0868