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“Art is really not for everybody," Dr. Roger Ideishi says. By this, he means the construction of art and its institutions, in essence, are not accessible to everyone. He elaborates:

“With live cultural arts, there are rules and expectations, such as sitting down, being quiet, not moving, and only getting up during intermission. A lot of don'ts, in a negative connotation with live arts etiquette.”

As Director of Occupational Therapy and Professor of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Services at George Washington University, Dr. Ideishi has dedicated his life's work to developing holistic approaches for creating programs, within artistic space, that are accessible for children with sensory and cognitive disabilities. Dr. Ideishi has worked with numerous artistic institutions to create sensory-friendly performances and cultural experiences that would otherwise be inaccessible to people with sensory processing disorders.

For him, doing this work means listening and allowing the parents and students to take the lead. "I've had to teach myself to listen a lot more genuinely." Dr. Ideishi says in an interview with Reading Rockets. "You know, as simple as that sounds; it's actually pretty difficult even as a practitioner to really genuinely listen.

His work—which has for the past three decades has developed a particular focus on arts and disability for the neurodiverse community—is concerned with autonomy. Dr. Ideishi began his work with children 25 years ago when he began recognizing the chasm between "home and community" within the classroom for children with autism, according to a 2019 interview. Among his varying initiatives and programming, he has worked to create learning spaces where children with autism would be supported and prepared to be in environments where the unpredictable is inevitable. 

From co-founding the Chinatown Disability Advocacy Project in Philadelphia to partnering with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Dr. Ideishi avoids a narrow scope, taking a more expansive approach to his methods and philosophy. He was awarded the 2017 Art-Reach Philadelphia Cultural Access Individual Impact Award and the 2019 Kennedy Center Achievement of Leadership in Accessibility Award for his efforts. One can only guess how Dr. Ideishi will next expand his efforts to make the art world more inclusive and accessible.