Art unites students with and without disabilities: A case study in secondary education

Abstract

This paper aims to promote art as an effective tool for creating humanitarian values and transforming possible erroneous social stereotypes of secondary school students. It is based on a collaboration during the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in schools (December 3) and refers to the joint implementation of activities among students of a suburban high school in Patras with same-age students attending a special education school. The research findingsare based on the results of questionnaires distributed to the participating studentsof the conventional high school, before and after the visit of students from a special school. The results of the research indicate that of the three jointly implemented activities (gardening, gymnastics, artistic creation-collage), artistic creation was rated by the interviewed students as the most pleasant and effective activity while collaborating with students with disabilities.Itis significant that all students expressed the desire to have the collaborationbetween the two schoolsrepeated. It helped themto transform their original perception of the limited abilities usually attributed to people with disabilities.

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