Longwood senior’s Kennedy Center internship opens new perspective on accessibility in education and arts

“I knew it would be an amazing internship experience, but I wasn’t exactly sure how the work would intersect and help develop my classroom experience,” said Brown, who has a minor in theater. “However, as I saw more connections being made, I realized that this can really help my teaching and make me stand out.”

The experience broadened Brown’s understanding of accessibility and the wide range of accommodations available to support individuals with different needs. It also inspired him to think more intentionally about inclusion in his own future classroom.

“I hope to do a lot of arts integration, project-based learning—going out on field trips and not just staying in a classroom,” he said. “I’m really interested to see what accommodations I can make for my students. I’m thinking about it differently because I’m thinking about all of the things I need to plan for.”

Brown arrived at Longwood knowing that he wanted to be a special education teacher. However, after taking several theatre classes—and drawing on both his passion for theater and his experiences as an autistic individual—he began to explore how art and special education could intersect. Supplementing his prior work experience with Longwood’s Accessibility Resources Office, his internship proved to be an eye-opening opportunity that deepened his understanding of inclusive education.

“I consider myself non-physically disabled, but as a neurodivergent person, there are so many different things I didn’t realize were accommodations until my internship,” he said. “I didn't realize that audio description was a thing or that cued speech is an entire language. It really opened my eyes to what is possible.”

Brown first learned about the Kennedy Center internship opportunity while attending the Leadership Exchange and Arts and Disability (LEAD) conference in 2024, where he met the director of Accessibility and VSA for the Kennedy Center, who encouraged him to apply. The conference, sponsored by the Kennedy Center, is for teachers, arts administrators and anyone involved in the arts and culture community interested in incorporating more accessibility into their work.

As part of his internship, Brown, who was one of about 40 summer interns at the Kennedy Center, helped out with three creative career programs for young people with disabilities: Emerging Young Artists program, International Young Musicians program and Playwright Discovery program.

Brown was responsible for compiling a detailed “Know Before You Go” guide for the attendees of the summer programs. It featured sensory information, transit directions and accessibility resources for visitors coming to Washington, D.C. from across the country—and even from abroad.

“Things like how to use the Metro, which is wonderful, but can be overstimulating sensory-wise and complicated,” he said.

The internship had a profound impact on Brown and deepened his perspective. He figured out that in addition to becoming a special education teacher, he also wants to become an advocate and be able to train and educate others. Brown passed a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies exam through the International Association of Accessibility Professionals this summer, which will allow him to teach and become a consultant for disability work and education. He has been working remotely as an independent contractor for the Kennedy Center’s Office of Accessibility and VSA this fall.

Brown said one aspect of the program he enjoyed was that the Kennedy Center encouraged interns to explore D.C.’s rich disability rights history. This summer was the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and he had an opportunity to connect with executives and interns with disabilities from the American Association of People with Disabilities and the Office of Disability Rights in Washington D.C..

“I not only developed so much as a student and a professional, but I also learned a lot more about myself,” he said. “Especially as a disabled person meeting other disabled people and feeling that unity this summer really made me feel a lot more confident in myself as a future special education teacher wanting to work with people with disabilities.”

Brown ended his internship by working at a sensory friendly performance of Sesame Street the musical, doing LED captioning for the show.

“I got to watch the process of making a sensory friendly guide and sensory friendly show for Sesame Street,” he said. “Seeing a sensory friendly performance is what got me interested in accessibility, so ending my internship with that show felt symbolic.”