Specialisterne: leveraging the unique skills of Autistics at competitive market terms

[Visionary7903]

Kevin Hosseini, mentioned in the above post, actually won the 2009 CVS VSA Arts Award for young artists in California and was flown to Washington DC as the California representative for VSA Arts.

I have already mentioned the partnership that CVS Caremark has with Ken’s Kids, Inc. The United States drug retailing company (with a pharmacy chain) also has a special program called All Kids Can which focuses on three key areas of support: Learn, Play and Succeed…

CVS Caremark All Kids Can, a program of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust and supported by CVS Caremark, is a five-year, $25 million commitment to making life easier for children with disabilities. Through this signature program, CVS Caremark and the Trust will support nonprofit organizations that provide innovative programs and services in local communities focused on helping children with disabilities learn, play and succeed in life. The goals of All Kids Can are to raise awareness in schools and in local communities about the importance of inclusion; build barrier-free playgrounds so children of all abilities can play side-by-side; and provide medical rehabilitation and related services to children with disabilities…

Along with CVS Caremark, VSA (which stands for ‘Very Special Arts’) was also involved in the initiative that led to Kevin Hosseini’s 2009 award…

…VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded [in 1974] by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year 7 million people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 54 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information about VSA arts, visit The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts…

(sources: About All Kids Can | CVS Caremark All Kids Can; Disability Rights California – News and Events - News Archive - PR Newswire, June 10, 2009, Ribbon-cutting ceremony for art exhibition by children with disabilities)