Learn for Life

Able ARTS Work has been fostering inclusion and providing meaningful programming for adults with developmental disabilities in Southern California since 1982. Like most progressive art studios across the country, the pandemic halted programming and creative, accessible solutions were needed. Thus Learn for Life was born. We talked with Sydney Davis-Campos, Virtual Learning and Training Coordinator at Able ARTS Work, to find out more about this far-reaching community resource. 

QF: Can you tell us how Learn for Life is both accessible and affordable for people of all abilities and ages?

Sydney: Accessibility has been one of our main goals from the very beginning. We are constantly growing and learning in this realm as well, since we as a society continue to define and explore forms of accessibility. We have realized that creative arts education and therapy is not widely available to the majority of people due to a variety of barriers.

By going virtual people are able to participate in events and services that are not occurring locally or that they do not have the transportation to attend. All of our workshops have instructors and/or assistants who are experienced in teaching virtually and with a wide variety of abilities. Throughout the workshops we encourage equal discussion and engagement, fostering patience, understanding, and camaraderie. When enrolling, participants have the option to identify that they have potential accessibility needs. A staff member will then reach out to them in advance to better understand their needs and work on a plan so they can equitably participate with everyone else. We also work to make our workshops affordable, offering them at a low price, occasionally having free workshops, and listing promotional events. We also encourage anyone who wants to participate, but may have a financial barrier, to reach out to us at learnforlife@ableartswork.org, so that we can discuss possibilities with them. We want to be able to welcome all who want to learn. We welcome a wide variety of ages. The youngest we have had attend was 14 years old and the oldest was in their 70s. 

While all these ranges of ages, abilities, and locations may sound like a lot, it actually comes together rather beautifully once we are all together in one virtual room connecting through creativity. Anyone is welcome whether they have years of experience in the creative fields, or don't know the difference between BandLab and Ableton or Knitting and Weaving. 

QF: What are some examples of courses you have offered or are going to be offering?

Sydney: We offer a wide range of live workshops. Some examples of past workshops are: Fiber Weaving with Aneesa Shami; SING! with Helen Dolas, CEO and MT-BC; Music Production with Randy McClure; and Altered Book Art with Katie Prodanovich, ATR-BC, LPCC 7087. 

The majority of live workshops are 90 minutes each and $5/participant. There are occasionally free workshops offered as well. We also have regular discounts available to make the various workshops more financially accessible.