'If words fail, there are other ways to communicate'
Building understanding and empathy through artistic expression
I started the Learning from their Stories newsletter three months ago. Lately, as I’ve been thinking back over what I’ve written, who I’ve talked to, and the stories I’ve shared, I’ve realized that every person I’ve highlighted has told me about the importance of art in their lives.
While I didn’t expect art to be such a ubiquitous theme, it doesn’t surprise me.
Whether the medium is visual art, poetry, singing, dancing, theater, comedy (the list could go on), the arts are universal, understandable, visceral in a way that talking just isn’t.
Sandra Lomeli’s son, Rich, didn’t talk much about his interests with me, but when I saw his room covered with artwork of his favorite superheroes and animals, I understood his personality. A resident of Courage’s C2 apartments didn’t say much to me when I first met him, but when I learned about his interest in digital art, he spent the rest of our time together scrolling through his phone, showing me the characters he’s created, and opening up about how he hopes to incorporate his design interests into a future career. I’ve never had a verbal conversation with Steven Salmon, but when I read the stories he’s written, I came to understand the challenges he faces due to his severe cerebral palsy, as well as the freedom he feels when he has the support he needs to live on his own, set his own schedule, and pursue his writing career.
Pink Umbrella’s Ash Mulholland first got into theater at the suggestion of her father who thought it would be a good way for Ash — who described herself as an autistic introvert — to socialize.
That has worked out tremendously for Ash, who has made a ton of friends. But along the way, Ash has also learned how to express herself through her art — music, photography, costume design, and acting.
“Theater is one of my favorite forms of communication because some people can understand what you’re communicating verbally, but in theater, you can communicate visually too,” Ash said. “Recently, I’ve been kind of doing a psychological analysis of the characters I’m playing and using body language to portray who I am.
“If words fail, there are other ways to communicate, like having something visual people can see and translating that to something they understand.”
Pip Buffington has felt the power of artistic expression since they first became interested in Shakespeare.
“Shakespeare was one of the first places I had as a young adult to experience gray morality,” Pip told me. “I’ve always found that theater helps me learn about taking perspectives from other people and to see other people’s points of view.”
Pip extended that experience to their own students when they taught middle school English, using the stories of Shakespeare to teach lessons about things like historical perspective and talking about how different points of view can lead to different opinions on “who was at fault” in MacBeth.
“We talked about putting ourselves in the characters’ places, and about how you can’t really learn what the author is trying to teach you until you insert yourself into the characters’ perspective,” Pip said. “Theater can be such an important tool for teaching empathy.”
And when people learn that others have differing experiences than their own, it also helps them understand that people can express themselves differently as well. That opens up a whole world of communication methods.
“There are lots of different ways to communicate. Like someone could be giving a ten-minute presentation to someone, who might have no clue what’s being presented,” Ash said. “But that’s just because they’re living in a different part of a spectrum of understanding and that way of communication doesn’t work for them. So, instead, you could provide a variety of ways to narrate your presentation or tell a story about a character.
“It comes down to spending time with people to understand what kind of communication works for them.”
How to experience Pink Umbrella
As we’ve seen over the past three weeks, Pink Umbrella fosters theatrical communication through their classes, productions, and their Disability Theater Cohort. They’ve also partnered and consulted with a variety of organizations to provide training in accessible theater education, to provide sensory-friendly productions, and to advance the mission of inclusivity in theater and in society in general. Here are just a few of those partners:
The after-school program at The Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center
The Wauwatosa school district’s Next Steps program
Milwaukee’s Kagel School
Milwaukee’s South Division High School
The Milwaukee Ballet for a sensory-friendly performance of The Nutcracker
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for sensory-friendly concerts
The Milwaukee Rep for sensory-friendly shows
Planned Parenthood
United Way
Pink Umbrella is also getting ready to produce a Summer Staged Reading Series; all the plays have been written by playwrights who identify with a disability. The following readings will take place at Milwaukee’s Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church at 3722 S. 58th St. Ticket information will be available on the Pink Umbrella website before June 30.
One Act Plays by Christopher Chan and Alison Fradkin at 7 p.m. on July 18; 1 p.m. on July 19; and 2 p.m. on July 20
SHIMMER by Anita Prestige at 7 pm. on Aug. 1; 1 p.m. on Aug. 2; and 2 p.m. on Aug. 3
IT’S ABOUT TIME by Abbie Goldberg at 7 pm. on Aug. 15; 1 p.m. on Aug. 16; and 2 p.m. on Aug. 17
More resources for disabled people
Islands of Brilliance: provides programming for neurodivergent people to develop creative and technological skills
Arts for All Wisconsin: elevates the artistic expression of disabled people
Wisconsin Autism Empowerment: A group of neurodivergent self-advocates and their neurotypical advocates, an affiliate of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Our TreASures: A support group for families of neurodivergent people
Think Ability WI: supports the needs of disabled people in acquiring and maintaining employment
New Horizons Un-Limited: Shares stories of, and provides resources for, disabled people
Wisconsin Board for People with Disabilities: authorized by the federal government to increase opportunities for disabled people
Disability Rights Wisconsin: protects the rights of disabled people through advocacy and legal expertise
Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin: supports and advocates for people with Down syndrome and related disabilities as well as their families
Disability inclusion services at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center: offers adaptive and inclusive programs to support the needs of disabled people
Independence First: provides services to help disabled people achieve their goals
Understood.org: provides resources to help neurotypical people understand neurodivergent people
Wispact Foundation: provides grants to disability service organizations to improve the quality of life of disabled people
Project SEARCH: an employment program for people with disabilities
Family Voices of Wisconsin: helps families of disabled people navigate health and community services
WI Facets: provides information and support to disabled people and their families
Life Navigators: provides comprehensive disability support services to children and adults with disabilities
The Arc Wisconsin: advocates for and with people with intellectual disabilities to improve their quality of life
Respite Care Association of Wisconsin: supports programs that provide family caregivers with the ability to rest and recharge from their primary caregiving duties
Survival Coalition of Wisconsin: a coalition of more than 20 groups that support and advocate for the needs of disabled people
People First Wisconsin: a self-advocacy organization run by and for people with disabilities
Community Living Alliance: works to improve access, develop programs, and listen to the voices of people with disabilities or chronic conditions, as well as older adults
Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin: provides community for autistic people and their families, as well as professionals who serve them
Autism United of Wisconsin: provides training and resources for parents, teachers, physicians, and others who work with autistic people
Catch up on the whole story of Pink Umbrella: