VSA arts was founded in 1974 by Jean Kennedy Smith, JFK’s sister, who believed that for people with disabilities, the arts are “a valuable impetus for healthy living. They provide education, enjoyment, sensory stimulation and a place to come together as part of mainstream society.” VSAA Massachusetts was founded in 1980. Today, working with schools, cultural institutions and human service agencies, VSAA annually reaches 50,000 Massachusetts residents, many from low-income or minority families. It focuses on accessibility — to museums, theatres (including live captioning for the deaf), historic sites, arts festivals and workshops, and to career opportunities in the arts. VSAA is also exploring reciprocal access—by hearing audiences to the distinctive culture of the deaf, helping to establish a deaf theatre company. A deaf production, “A Show of Hands,” is showcasing distinguished American Deaf theatre artists and its work at the Roxbury Center for the Arts Hibernian Hall, Nov. 17-19, 2005. VSAA has been recognized for excellence by federal and state Departments of Education, and has received Massachusetts’ highest honor in the arts, humanities and sciences: the Cultural Council’s Commonwealth Award. The Catalogue is proud to recognize VSAA’s excellence on its 25th anniversary. Please join us in honoring it.