FINE ART MIRACLES

FAM's​ ​greatest​ ​accomplishment​ ​has​ ​been​ ​expanding​ ​services, coverage​ ​area​ ​and​ ​served​ ​populations; enhancing​ ​the​ ​lives​ ​of​ ​increasing​ ​numbers of​ ​people​ ​with​ ​challenges.​ ​​​Since 2017, we’ve grown ​our​ ​service​ population ​from​ ​600​ ​people per​ ​year​​ ​to​ ​serving​ ​more​ ​than​ ​6,000​ ​people​ ​annually,​ ​to​ ​date.

​In​ ​2013,​ ​FAM​ ​had ​the​ ​opportunity​ ​to​ ​work​ ​with​ ​the​ ​Carnegie​ ​Mellon​ ​Robotics Institute,​ ​the​ ​world’s​ ​#1​ ​rated​ ​robotics​ ​program,​ ​to​ ​bring​ ​the​ ​known​ ​benefits​ ​of​ ​social ​robotics​ ​out​ ​of​ ​the​ ​laboratory​ ​to​ ​the​ ​general​ ​public.​ ​Together​ ​we​ ​provided​ ​an advanced​ ​behavioral​ ​intervention,​ ​combining​ ​a​ ​social​ ​peer​ ​agent ​with​ ​a​ ​series of​ ​art​ ​therapy​ ​sessions​ ​for​ ​children​ ​on​ ​the​ ​autism​ ​spectrum,​ ​supporting​ ​their​ ​growth​ ​in ways​ ​otherwise​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​achieve.​

After​ ​years​ ​of​ ​experience​ ​working with​ ​people​ ​who​ ​struggle​ ​with​ ​Alzheimer's​ ​disease,​ ​FAM​ ​recognized​ ​that​ ​rather​ ​than​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​pull​ ​them​ ​back​ ​into​ ​our​ ​world​ ​to​ ​do something​ ​that​ ​makes​ ​sense​ ​to​ ​us,​ ​we​ ​needed​ ​to​ ​find​ ​a​ ​way​ ​to​ ​enter​ ​their​ ​world​ ​and journey​ ​with​ ​them​ ​​where​ ​they​ ​are.​ ​This​ ​inspired​ ​research​ ​and​ ​discussion​ ​leading​ ​to​ ​the FAM Multi-Sensory​ ​Program.