Local Art Show Speaks for Unheard Voices

Inside the Minds of Individuals with Disabilities

Source: https://thelebanontimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/LTHoliday2024.pdf

By: Isabella Vanasse, The Lebanon Times

Has your voice ever been hoarse – your throat so sore words could not escape?

Imagine being unable to communicate easily or effectively over the course of a lifetime. Recently, the Special Needs Support Center (SNSC) of White River Junction, teamed up with Dartmouth Health (DH) in Lebanon to showcase artwork created by local residents with disabilities. In other words, to give voice through visual mediums.

SNSC executive director, Dr. Kendra LaRoche, explains, “Some [artists] are not speaking, yet their artwork speaks volumes.” The goal of the SNSC art exhibition at DH was “for voices of people with disabilities to be heard metaphorically…and to [be] seen,” LaRoche says. “People with disabilities are often underestimated because they might not communicate in a way that is typical. They might communicate in unique ways. That’s why we named the art exhibit ‘My Voice, My Story’.” 

LaRoche understands first hand the frustrations of not feeling neurotypical. Eight years ago, she incurred a traumatic brain injury that left her unable to “think logically,” she says. After the accident, she needed to leave her position as assistant principal at a pre-Kindergarten through grade 8 school, where, ironically, she had also been in charge of Special Education. In 2023, she came to SNSC – an organization that has served the Upper Valley community since 1979. LaRoche “immediately felt at home.”

“Eighty percent of our staff has disabilities; we reserve two board seats for individuals with disabilities, such as artists Tesha [Thibodeau] and Sam [Estes], and we hire individuals with disabilities to be paid, lived-expertise consultants,” LaRoche explains. “We are not speaking for people with disabilities; we are the ones whose voices need to be heard.”

That is why one of SNSC’s many program offerings is an art class every Wednesday at AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon. Individuals’ creations “can communicate their story [and] produce…amazing art work,” LaRoche says.

To further support individuals with disabilities, SNSC has a “three-pronged approach” to give voice, avoid stigmatization, and avoid misunderstandings. In addition to various programming for all ages and a range of advocacy services, SNSC provides various extensive training for local organizations. For instance, local first responders (police, fire, and emergency medical services personnel) learn “how people with disabilities may respond and why.” Organizations can also receive training and walk-throughs to maximize access and ease for customers and employees with disabilities.

LaRoche doesn’t regret the life circumstances that led her to SNSC and helping to champion a neurodiverse community. In her own words, additional unexpected benefits of receiving the traumatic brain injury were: “I learned to slow down, savor the moment, and not run at break-neck speed. My children became more empathetic to people with disabilities as they helped me navigate a world with too much sensory stimulation. I am able to put myself in the shoes of people with disabilities as I continue to experience long-term effects of the incident. I now lead with my heart, as well as my head.” In addition, “I met [my husband] the day I received the injury, but that’s a story for another time!”

The exhibition ‘My Voice, My Story’, featuring work by local residents with disabilities, was on display at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, from July 1 to September 30.