Sara Lucas-Dreiss is in her 26th year of teaching, and in her eighth year of teaching adapted art at Longview School.
Longview provides comprehensive and collaborative educational services to students 5 to 21 years of age with severe to profound intellectual and/or multiple disabilities. Longview students have diverse learning needs: communication needs (non-verbal), limited motor functioning, visual and/or hearing impairments, and complex medical needs.
Each year, the students work on a variety of art projects with as much independence as possible, from creating Labubus and decorative flower vases to making slime and smoothies.
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But their bestselling product is stationery—six notecards and envelopes packed in a cellophane sleeve. Students create the cover art for the cards using a variety of methods—collage, paint, rolling marbles and using an assistive device to splatter paint. The cards are then printed by Copy-Plus and sell here (with options for Longview pickup, MCPS Pony or U.S. post office shipping.) Proceeds go right back to the school.
“It’s a team effort,” said Lucas-Dreiss. “We have physical therapists, occupational therapists, paraeducators who are the experts for the kids. We have a lot of hands supporting these kids to be as independent as possible. It’s really beautiful.”
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