(WASHINGTON)—Today in Vienna, Austria, The Zero Project, a global non-profit that finds and shares solutions that improve the daily lives and legal rights of persons with disabilities, presented the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with a 2025 Zero Project Award.
The award is in recognition of the Center’s long history of opening pathways to careers in the arts by providing internships and apprenticeships to persons with disabilities of all ages. This year, The Zero Project’s research cycle is dedicated to the themes of inclusive Employment, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The Kennedy Center’s award is one of 77 presented to organizations representing a total of 45 countries across six continents.
“It is a real honor for our work with persons with disabilities to be recognized in this way by The Zero Project. The Kennedy Center has invested in hundreds of remarkable young adults with disabilities who have gone on to achieve successful careers and jobs in the Arts. Every day these alumni remind me that society benefits from giving everyone a chance to pursue their dreams,” said Betty Siegel, J.D., Kennedy Center Director of Accessibility & VSA, who accepted the award on behalf of the Center.
The Kennedy Center has long been at the forefront of making the performing arts accessible to persons with disabilities, and this cherished practice for the Center still rings true today. Serving the disability and arts community, the Office of Accessibility and VSA, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability program, invites people with disabilities of all ages from across the globe to learn through, participate in, and engage with the arts. The Office focuses its efforts on exemplary guest services for patrons and visitors with disabilities attending events at the Center; community based accessible arts education initiatives for students in K-12; a dynamic community of arts and cultural administrators; and career opportunities for emerging and professional creatives with disabilities.
# # #
About Zero Project
The Zero Project's mission is working for a world with zero barriers. Worldwide, the Zero Project finds and shares solutions that improve the daily lives and legal rights of all persons with disabilities, as intended and encouraged by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
About The Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America’s living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, attracting millions of visitors each year to more than 2,000 performances, events, and exhibits. With its artistic affiliates, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, the Center is one of the nation’s busiest performing arts centers, dedicated to providing world-class art, powerful education, and outstanding memorial experiences to the broadest possible constituency. Across all its offerings, the Kennedy Center is committed to increasing accessible opportunities for all people to participate in and learn through the arts, including more than 400 free performances each year and a variety of MyTix opportunities for students, young professionals, active-duty service members, first responders, and others to obtain discounted tickets. On September 7, 2019, the Kennedy Center inaugurated the REACH, its first-ever major expansion. Designed by Steven Holl Associates, the REACH provides visitors with new opportunities to interact and engage with the Center as the nation’s premier nexus of arts, learning, and culture. On September 8, 2022, the Kennedy Center unveiled Art and Ideals: President John F. Kennedy, a new 7,500-square-foot permanent exhibit exploring Kennedy’s presidency and his commitment to the arts. To learn more about the Kennedy Center, please visit www.kennedy-center.org.