Monica Schneider-Brewer

Each WAE Center member who participated in the Chairs of Inclusion project had a unique experience. Here’s what a few of our members have shared with us. Jack, one of our poets, worked with artist Yvette Lucas on the Care Chair. For this chair, our members were invited to write what they would say to someone who sits in the chair, so that person would feel nurtured. Yvette photographed and then transferred their words to cloth, which was then used to upholster the arms and seat of the chair. Jack says, “I love poetry and I LOVED this chair. I wrote, ‘I hope you find love and passion and that you cuddle with someone you love in this chair.’ ” The Care […]

The Chairs of Inclusion concept was born about four years ago, when a group of women from Jewish Federation visited the WAE Center to learn about our program. JSDD’s WAE Center was founded on the belief and knowledge that each individual possesses the potential for creating a meaningful life, a process we call “Finding the Spark Within.” Inclusion is implemented every single day by facilitators trained to bring people of diverse abilities together as equals. As this group of women sat around the conference table talking about inclusion a light bulb went off.  We, ourselves, were such a diverse group, with different talents and abilities. Yet, as we all took a seat at the table, we became equals in the conversation. […]

My concept for the “Chairs of Inclusion” incorporates multiple chairs coming together to create a sculpture which represents community.  The focus of the “Chairs of Inclusion is on the shifting of perceptions in order to find opportunities for inclusion. This collaboration is the manifestation of inclusion between me and the WAE Center member artists.  The sculpture is unified through circular shapes.  Circles commonly represent life, unity and wholeness, all of which are relevant to this piece and the work that was undertaken.

In honor of the 10th anniversary of JSDD’s WAE Center, a large scale collaborative art project is currently underway. Ten life sized chairs are being commissioned from professional artists, each of whom is working with the Center’s member artists to create a chair as an art/sculpture object. The chairs represent our belief that every person is entitled to a “seat at the table”– in our community and our family lives. Ultimately, these chairs will travel as a group or individually and will be exhibited at a variety of venues, including museums, libraries, schools, houses of worship, etc. They are testimony to the talents that oftentimes lay hidden in people with special needs. View a short film clip capturing some of […]

There is quite a buzz at the WAE Center as we enter the year of our 10th anniversary. The community that has grown to become the WAE Center continues to build on our original vision, with the encouragement, support and participation by JSDD’s Board of Trustees, foundations, volunteers, community schools and students, families, staff and members. Our program supports all people regardless of ability, and our belief that each member has great potential is unwavering. Having a choice, gaining a voice, developing self-responsibility – these goals are at the core of our philosophy and practice. There is true beauty in knowing you are being heard and that your voice is important to the people with whom you are sharing the journey. It […]