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OPDI-114: Teaching Dance to Students w/Disabilities
September 14, 2026 - December 06, 2026
Every child and teen deserves access to dance education and performance! This course empowers dance educators to create inclusive learning environments where students of all abilities can thrive. Whether you teach in P–12 schools, private studios, or community programs, you'll gain tools, strategies, and the confidence to support students with disabilities in your dance classes.
We’ll explore key topics for teaching dance to students with disabilities, including:
- Neurodiversity, sensory sensitivities and dance education
- Characteristics of disabilities and how they impact dance learning
- Effective instructional strategies and pedagogical approaches that provide access to students with a range of abilities and challenges
- Goal-setting and assessment strategies
- Disability justice and its role in shaping equitable dance education
- Legislation, historical context, and current issues surrounding dance education and disability
Through interactive learning and practical applications, you’ll learn to address the access needs your students, discover resources, develop inclusive lessons and dance activities, and explore how to celebrate diverse movement styles. By the end of the course, you'll be equipped to offer dance classes that honor each student’s unique abilities, creativity, and voice. NOTE: The main focus of this course is on children and teens.
Agenda
Speakers
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Sandi Stratton-Gonzalez
<p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:14pt;"><strong>Sandi Stratton-Gonzalez, MA</strong>, is currently a facilitator at the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL), where she writes curriculum for the P-12 dance classroom for students with disabilities. Sandi has also worked with the Arnhold Support Program for Dance Educators since 2019, providing support for early career dance educators and designing professional learning opportunities for NYC Public School’s dance educators working with students with disabilities. Sandi has taught <i>Dance for Children with Disabilities </i>(since 2018) for the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and is a founding member of the NDEO Dance and Disabilities Advisory Committee. For over 20 years (1999-2019), Sandi was the Dance Specialist at The Children’s School (PS 372) in Brooklyn, the first fully inclusive public elementary school in the United States. There, she developed a sequential PK -5 curriculum, chaired the Arts Committee, and administered the school’s extensive enrichment programs. In addition to teaching at the PS372 inclusion site, Sandi taught at the schools programs for children with Emotional Disabilities and children with Autism. Sandi is co-author (with C. Gallant and D. Duggan) of <i>Dance Education for Diverse Learners: A Special Education Supplement to the Dance Blueprint</i> and has been published in <i>Dance: Current Selected Research Volume 7</i> and <i>Dance Education in Practice</i>. Sandi taught <i>Dance in Elementary Education</i> at Hofstra University (2008-2018) and has mentored dozens of dance educators as a Cooperating Teacher for Hofstra and New York University. Prior to working in dance education Sandi was the founding Artistic Director and a Resident Choreographer of Soundance Repertory Company (SRC), 1984 – 1999. Under Sandi’s direction this groundbreaking community-based arts organization performed throughout the Northeast, implemented cultural partnerships with several of New York’s Lower East Side public schools, provided subsidized rehearsal and performance space for the NYC dance community, and stood apart for it’s commitment to nurturing the voices of emerging and mid-career dance makers. Learn more in her interview with Austin dance educator Silva Laukkanen,</span><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fstanceondance.com%2F2021%2F08%2F23%2Fsandi-stratton-gonzalez-dance-education%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3Qk7BHr7J182wgvIdqZfGphIO-V8QR-829Fwa380_Ho08tOygotjRPOgc&data=05%7C02%7CSStratt%40schools.nyc.gov%7C9bb5d2e0ed1d4399576008dc106d4332%7C18492cb7ef45456185710c42e5f7ac07%7C0%7C0%7C638403309013854731%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=TP9ELE2EVxNCw4pE3HuC7zvs8Q6Yv%2FfxtDcMUf9gdqI%3D&reserved=0"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,255);font-size:14pt;"> <u>Advocating for Inclusive Dance in the Public Schools</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:14pt;">.</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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NYC Arts Office, Dance Education Laboratory |
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