Since its founding in 1965, Didlake – a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Manassas – has been creating opportunities that enrich the lives of people with disabilities. Through its training and job placement programs and contracted work with the federal government that provides hundreds of jobs, Didlake is constantly looking for ways to connect people with disabilities to business and their communities. Now, through a partnership with the soon-to-open Hylton Performing Arts Center, Didlake and George Mason University (the operators of the Center) have created a unique opportunity to strengthen the community’s connections to the people Didlake serves.
As the result of a bequest from the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Roger J. Costello, the main lobby at the new performing arts center will be known as the Didlake Grand Foyer. But the name in the lobby is only the “tip of the iceberg”. It is part of a fifteen point agreement between Didlake and the Center aimed at ensuring that all community citizens will be able to participate as fully as possible in life of this new, important community resource. The agreement focuses on creating opportunities for employment, volunteerism, attendance, performance and education for people with disabilities. To ensure that the written agreement remains a living document, staff from both Didlake and the Hylton Performing Arts Center will be assigned responsibilities for implementing the terms of the partnership.
On the surface, the partnering of an organization that supports people with disabilities with one that brings arts and culture to the community at large may seem unusual. But the architects of this unique arrangement understand that appreciation of the arts and the desire for creative expression is not limited by one’s physical or intellectual attributes. In fact, people whose disabilities cause them to experience barriers in every aspect of their lives may have a unique vantage point on the arts. As William Reeder, Dean of George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts recently said, “The value of this [partnership] cannot be overstated. The presence of Didlake’s community gives everyone permission to try, and to go beyond the limits that they may feel”.
Visit them online at www.didlake.org