Our Advocate of the Months go above and beyond to provide inclusivity for people with disabilities. Our July Advocate of the Month, The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, shows their commitment to the disability community through their specialized programs, future planning of their new space, and their consistent openness to feedback from people of all abilities.

“Don’t forget about this community. Carry this with you.”

Those were the words Kellie Mele, Director of Education at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA), heard when she left Marshall Street School as a special education teacher in their art department. It was a plea to bring the arts to all people within the disability community, and Kellie and the collective staff at WCMFA have kept the promise to this day.

“We want to break down barriers that people perceive are here that keep them from belonging to the arts community,” said Kellie.

WCMFA uses grant funding from the Bowman Foundation to hold free art mini-camps specifically for people with disabilities. Three have been held in 2025, with each one catering to a different age bracket, such as young children, middle school and high school age, and adults. Their special education instructor, Allison Hoffman, guides people in exploring different art mediums over the course of three days, with each camp ending with a final mini-exhibit of everyone’s finished pieces in the museum’s atrium.

Kellie notes that implementing feedback from those they serve helps fine-tune the museum’s efforts to create the most accessible and successful programs possible for the disability community. For example, Kellie pointed out that special attention is given to providing opportunities specifically for adults with disabilities, as she had received feedback that there are less of these opportunities for adults with disabilities as compared to children with disabilities. As a result, the adult mini-camp was created and filled up almost immediately after its announcement.

WCMFA is also placing particular attention on accessibility as they plan their upcoming expansion. Kellie noted that following basic ADA guidelines doesn’t always create optimal accessibility, and as a result, their team is paying special attention to ensuring all building entrances are equally accessible and that the layout of the new space will equally support people of all abilities.

“The more we have frequent communication, the more we can do,” said Kellie. “We’re very open to feedback and how we can make them feel like they belong even more, especially as we prepare for the expansion.”

Thank you Washington County Museum of Fine Arts for being an outstanding advocate of all abilities! 

 

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