In the October/November, we report on The Art Cart, a series of workshops designed to enhance creativity and fine motor skills in people with Parkinson’s disease and other conditions that effect movement and dexterity. The workshops are also designed to improve the ability to smile. Called the Smile through Art project, it also sponsors Let's Combat Micrographia writing workshops, aimed at improving the small, cramped handwriting common among people with Parkinson’s disease and other conditions, such as arthritis.
The 6- to 10-week workshops cost $30 to $35, depending on duration. For an additional $20, participants can purchase an interactive workbook called Let’s Combat Micrographia, available at smilethroughart.com and via Amazon and Barnes & Noble. “Participants relearn how to write through hand and writing exercises,” says Shahid. They use pens, pencils, or felt-tip markers—whichever is easiest.
The workshops are funded in part by a grant from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Recently, the NIH agreed to fund a training program based on the micrographia book.