This thesis presents the results of a longitudinal study of a painting class for a group of mentally retarded and physically handicapped young adults. The author's observational journal and the students' paintings provided the basis of the thesis. The author gave maximum freedom to her students and the students fully exercised creativity through their painting activity. Eventually each student created his own style in his painting. This experience brought a new identity to the group. The students evolved from a collection of separate people into a cohesive social unit. The author tries to show, in this developmental process, how intellectual and emotional events and probless were met and solved by the students in their painting activity. Painting is seen as a powerful medium of communication and expression for the students. In order to esphasize this point, the author used three case histories which include 132 pictures presented in VOL. II.

Sculptor Eric McGehearty incorporates dyslexia, a learning disability, into his artwork to express his challenges with his limited ability to recognize and understand the written word. The film Access Denied focuses on Eric and his disability. Recognized in 1896, dyslexia has been studied and researched by scientists and educators. New assistive technology is now available to aid dyslexics in reading and writing. Specialized schools provide techniques to improve student learning. However, some options are not readily available to the general public; therefore, information about how to deal with the disability is not easily accessed. The aims of this documentary are to raise awareness of available resources to assist with learning as well as to demonstrate a relationship between art and dyslexia.