HAMDEN, CT — January 12, 2026 — Arts for Learning Connecticut (AFLCT) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Eugene G. & Margaret M. Blackford Memorial Fund to support Breaking Free: Expanding Kinesthetic Arts for Students with Visual Impairments.
This grant will support weekly kinesthetic arts residencies for students who are blind or have low vision, expanding access to adaptive, sensory-based arts learning for some of Connecticut’s most underserved students. The program will serve 60 students during the 2025–26 school year, including 30 students at Oak Hill School in Hartford and an additional 30 students statewide through a new partnership with the Connecticut Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB).
Breaking Free is designed specifically for students with visual impairments, centering movement, rhythm, tactile exploration, and multisensory learning. Teaching Artists with expertise in adaptive and kinesthetic approaches guide students through hands-on arts experiences that foster creativity, confidence, self-expression, and social connection, areas often underserved in traditional, sight-dependent arts instruction.
“We are deeply grateful to the Blackford Memorial Fund for its continued investment in accessible arts learning,” said John-Michael Parker, Executive Director of Arts for Learning Connecticut. “This support allows us not only to sustain a proven program at Oak Hill School, but to expand its reach statewide in partnership with BESB, ensuring more students who are blind or visually impaired can experience the joy and transformative power of the arts.”
The Blackford grant builds on several years of successful programming at Oak Hill School and leverages additional support from the Honda USA Foundation. Together, these investments will allow AFLCT to double the scope of Breaking Free, positioning it as a potential statewide model for inclusive, adaptive arts learning.