Arts at the Heart of Health Care

Sargent hosted AXIS Dance Company, featuring dancers with and without disabilities, for a residency in March 2017.

In collaboration with the BU Arts Initiative, the BU Dance Program, and BU Disability Services, Sargent hosted AXIS Dance Company for a residency in March 2017. The California-based troupe, featuring dancers with and without disabilities, presented a panel discussion for Sargent students to learn about policy and legislation, access to facilities, and how health care professionals can integrate the arts into their work with patients.

Sargent hosts a variety of arts initiatives throughout the year, including a screening of the film Becoming Bulletproof (featuring actors with and without disabilities) and an inclusive dance program that OT and PT students ran at the Boys & Girls Club in Dorchester, Mass. And in February 2017, Sargent’s Aphasia Community Group hosted cartoonist Graham Shaw, who took the participants through the process of drawing cartoon faces that convey emotions they may not be able to express in words.

Sargent’s Aphasia Community Group hosted a cartooning session, in which participants drew faces that conveyed emotions they may not be able to express in words. Photo courtesy of the Aphasia Community Group

“Incorporating art into the curriculum encourages students to develop critical thinking, communication, and observational skills,” says Karen Jacobs, clinical professor of occupational therapy.

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