'Really beautiful thing': Art group provides social enrichment for kids with disabilities

For children with developmental disabilities, having enriching activities where they can express their creativity and make friends is a key antidote to social isolation.

Lisa Morrison, founder of the nonprofit organization Integrated Community Solutions (ICS), knows firsthand how hungry young people with disabilities and their families are for activities that provide an outlet for gathering and engaging, considering she's raised three children who have autism.

ICS is one of 36 organizations receiving a total of $61,000 in grants this year through the Millennium Fund for Children, a partnership of the Akron Beacon Journal and the Akron Community Foundation. Since the Millennium Fund launched in 1999, it has distributed more than $1 million in grants to local groups that benefit children in the region.

The nonprofit ICS received $1,500 from the Millennium Fund to support its new Children's Art Group for kids ages 9 to 14. The group, which meets about four times per month, fosters life skills along with creativity and friendship as participants create a canvas painting project at each class.

The budget for the yearlong Children's Art Group is $2,000.

"This grant is going to help tremendously," Morrison said. "Obviously, it's going to cover three quarters of you what we need to raise."

Morrison founded the all-volunteer ICS in 2021 with a group of like-minded parents and advocates. Her right-hand helpers are Andy Sharp, Kara Wolff and Owen Zupanc. Wolff and Sharp also serve as Special Olympics coaches, and Zupanc is a referral and services specialist at the Summit Developmental Disabilities Board.

"They work closely with me to make sure that the social and educational groups are successful. I really could not do it without them. I really love them," Morrison said.

Local art teachers who teach the Children's Art Group include Kim Rathy and Leslie Condor. Other types of classes for all ages include creating art with wool and paint-pouring art sessions.

Integrated Community Solutions partners with the Medina Community Board of Developmental Disabilities, which provides the organization space for most of its social enrichment groups.

The Children's Art Group serves youngsters with special needs primarily from Medina and Summit counties. The benefits of the classes include providing opportunities for children with disabilities to express their emotions, thoughts and experiences through art; supporting the development of individual artistic styles; building confidence and self-esteem; and encouraging social interaction and inclusion.

Yearlong art classes culminate in an art show where participants showcase their creations.

"The point of the art group or any of our groups is much more about feeling like you fit in, have a home, are accepted. It's much more about that than it is about learning how to do art. Seeing the amazing talent these kids have is like cherry on the cake," Morrison said.

The Children's Art Group started last year, after the art group for people 15 and older was up and running.

"I had so many parents of children calling me just desperate for something for their kids to do. And finally I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I have to do a kid's group. It's just breaking my heart listening to these parents.' I've been there," Morrison said.

Raising three children with autism

Morrison's children are Noah, 22, Ben, 21, and Olivia, 20. The three participate in all of the adult and all-ages social enrichment groups at ICS. Ben and Olivia also help her out with setup and cleanup with the Children's Art Group each week.

When her kids were little, Morrison couldn't afford to spend hundreds of dollars for each to participate in social enrichment programs. That's why it's so important for ICS to remove barriers to participating by providing low- or no-cost programming.

Nearly all of ICS's programs, which include movie nights, yoga, hayrides and independent living skills groups, are free. A $5 fee for the yearlong art groups helps cover costs of materials.

"I don't know of any other groups that have social programming at the end of the day that's either free or very low cost," Morrison said.

The social aspect of the classes are important for both the kids and adults at ICS.

"Raising a special-needs child can be very lonely," Morrison said. "It's very isolating because sometimes you can't just pack your kid in a car and go shopping because your child might not do very well in stores, or that might disrupt their routine that they're used to, or they might have a difficult moment in the middle of a store, so you're terrified to even put them in that position because you don't know if you can handle it."

ICS classes provide a place where kids with disabilities are accepted and their parents can also bond.

Residential mission for Integrated Community Solutions

Morrison said ICS's social and educational programs have started out with a bang over the last two years. While running the nonprofit's social enrichment program, she's also continually looking for the right 12- to 20-acre property in Medina County to build a residential community where homes are privately owned by individuals with disabilities and their families.

"Our bigger mission is to plan a residential community for people with developmental disabilities that will be designed for people with disabilities, but it'll be neuro-diverse," Morrison said.

Morrison, who will be the first unpaid community director, hopes to have a parcel bought next year, funded by a capital campaign, so home building can be offered by 2025. Her sons will live in their own homes, and her daughter will live in another residence with her and her husband, Jim.

Such a community would be the first of its kind in Ohio. It will provide a day program at its community center as well as vocational programs throughout the community.

The social enrichment and educational classes that ICS has been running the last couple years have built a sense of community for those with disabilities and their families, the first step toward the larger goal of creating a residential community. That extends to the Morrison family, too.

"The sense of community and the fellowship has just been a really, really beautiful thing in my life," she said.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Grant supports art enrichment for kids with developmental disabilities