Youth and Down Syndrome: A Canadian Practice of Inclusion, Communication and Creative Arts

This Participant Action Research Project (PAR) was a collaborative & qualitative research project which explored creative and visual arts as a method for social inclusion and communication. Six youth with Down syndrome (DS) from Nova Scotia were participants. This active participation within a creative and visual arts modality explored and share individual experiences from participation in a social inclusion project during the COVID- 19 lockdown period. Youth experienced community song writing, creative dance, photo collage, and photo voice sessions as a mode of expressive communication. The project aim was to establish an increased awareness and knowledge specific to the achievement gap and understand various modes of expression and communication practices for youth with disabilities. Additionally, examine how creative and visual arts could aid within overall expression for youth with Down syndrome. Limited research is available which supports PAR for youth with intellectual disability. Six participants are striving to close the academic and social achievement gaps they experience every day. Inequities faced by students with Intellectual Disability (ID) have been documented and explored in recent. Results indicated that feelings of belonginess were expressed during creative arts sessions and acts of empathy throughout various art projects were documented. In addition, data suggested that exposing youth to new methods of communication and expression can promote community engagement and social inclusion for youth with disabilities.

Keywords: Youth; Down syndrome; communication; intellectual disability; creative art; visual art; expression; inclusion; participatory action research

Abbreviations: ID: Intellectual Disabilities; DS: Down syndrome, PAR: Participatory Action Research; UNESCO: United Nations Educational Scientific Organization.