The art program
Supported workshops, pop-up exhibitions in libraries and community centers, and artwork that sells so the artist earns from it.
How the art program worksEmpowering through art
Every artist has a voice. Every voice deserves to be heard.
Advance Virginia works with deaf and hard of hearing people, and with people who have other disabilities, across Fairfax County. We help them find their talent, show it in public, sell it, and get the education support they need along the way.
Two halves of the same idea
Uncover what a person can do, then remove what is standing in the way of them doing it.
Education and family support
Language and literacy, speech therapy, school placement, interpreting and captioning, and wellbeing support for families.
What we offer familiesOur core goals
Three things we measure ourselves against.
One
Talent discovery
Accessible art supplies and mentorship, so people find out what they are capable of making.
Two
Community integration
Public exhibitions and cultural events across Fairfax County that break down social barriers instead of talking about them.
Three
Self-sufficiency
A real income. Money from sales goes to the artist, and what is left stays in the community and funds the next workshop.
Deaf first, and open to everyone
Our founder has spent fifteen years working with deaf and hard of hearing children, so that is where our deepest expertise sits and where we start.
It is not where we stop. The workshops, the exhibitions and the family support are open to people with any disability, and always have been meant to be.
Artists, not participants
This is not a therapy session or a day activity. Work is made properly, framed properly, and priced properly, with the artist's name beside it.
Every sale pays the artist first. We will publish the exact split before the first piece is sold.
Why this work is needed
Four numbers that shape what we do. None of them are about charity.
- 38%
of working-age people with a disability were employed in 2025, against 75% of everyone else. The gap is not about ability.
- 9 in 10
deaf children are born to hearing parents, so most families are learning a new way to communicate at the same time as their child.
- 2–3
of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears.
- 1.6m
adults in Virginia live with a disability. Fairfax County alone is home to more than 1.1 million people.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, People with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics, 2025; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Disability Impacts Virginia; U.S. Census Bureau.
Join our journey today
Together, we can turn creativity into opportunity.
Families and artists
Tell us about someone with talent worth uncovering. Get in touch
Volunteers
Art coaching, events, marketing, admin, outreach. Volunteer with us
Partners
Libraries, community centers, galleries, schools and businesses. Work with us