Source: Sally Bailey, 785-532-6780, sdbailey@k-state.edu
Friday, Feb. 29, 2008
K-STATE'S SALLY BAILEY TO BE HONORED FOR HER WORK IN INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE ARTS
MANHATTAN -- A Kansas State University drama therapist is being recognized for her work in including people with disabilities in the arts.
Sally Bailey, an associate professor and director of graduate studies in theater and director of the drama therapy program at K-State, is receiving the 2007 Award for Distinguished Service in Arts and Disabilities from Accessible Arts Inc. and the Kansas State Board of Education. The award will be presented Wednesday, March 12, at the state board's meeting at the Kansas State School for the Blind in Kansas City, Kan.
Bailey is being recognized for her course Drama Therapy for Special Populations. The course pairs K-State students with children, teens and young adults with disabilities to help the students learn about inclusion of all individuals in work and in play. Bailey also is being recognized for her Barrier-Free Theater, which is offered through the city of Manhattan's Parks and Recreation Department and in conjunction with the Manhattan Arts Center. The theater presents an original play each spring. Bailey said the play features actors with and without disabilities who create the show themselves based on their own ideas and interests, as opposed to taking a play already written and fitting it to them.
Along with being an educator, Bailey is a playwright and director. She has written many articles about drama therapy and other creative arts therapies and has published books about her experiences as a drama therapist working with children and teens with a variety of disabilities. Her first book, "Wings to Fly," is often used as a textbook for drama therapy courses addressing special populations. In addition, Bailey, through a partnership with K-State, USD 383 and the Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department, leads a summer camp for teens with disabilities.
Bailey joined K-State in 1999. A registered drama therapist, she is a former president of the National Association for Drama Therapy. She has been recognized with K-State's William L. Stamey Undergraduate Teaching Award, as a K-State adviser of the year and with Mortar Board's outstanding faculty member award.
Accessible Arts is a not-for-profit organization that champions the arts for children with disabilities and advocates for the arts. Located in Kansas City, Kan., the organization works to promote the arts, including dance, visual art, music, storytelling and drama, in schools, mental health facilities and in community and social service programs.