Meet Alison Hinds | Special Education Lecturer & Visual Art Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alison Hinds and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alison, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Growing up, I always did fashion design sketches for my mother who was a dressmaker. This led me to pursue a degree in visual arts majoring in painting. After completing my degree, I went to the US to work at a summer camp that catered to persons with special needs. While there, I served as the Ceramic Specialist and taught persons with varying levels of special needs. This opened my eyes to the impact of art as a therapeutic and motivating force on the special needs community. I saw how they enjoyed applying their individual artistic talents, how proud they felt that they had made something creative, and how happy they were to be able to take something tangible home to show others and have as a keepsake. This experience helped me upon my return to Jamaica, as I became a visual arts secondary teacher. I was successful in receiving 100% passes for my students who sat the regional secondary examination for Visual Arts from the Caribbean’s only school for students who are blind and visually impaired.

Having been an art educator for over 10 years and witnessing the benefits of art on students, I wanted to expand my reach beyond the classroom. I started doing my research and found out about the Paint N Sip concept and decided to adopt it and do something similar in Jamaica. Utilizing my background, I’ve been able to offer a unique experience to persons at different artistic levels, whether they are young, young at heart, or have an exceptionality.

It warms my heart when I hear the testimonies of my guests after sessions when they express shock and awe at the designs that they are able to create. Some patrons have been so inspired that it has sparked them to pursue their own artistic journey and monetize their talent. In other cases, it has provided an avenue of escape from the realities of the pandemic and has helped persons to reminisce on their previous art experiences.

This has led me to formally incorporate my business as a registered art company, Alicrafts Ja Limited, which is managed by myself alongside my sisters, Zola and Elise. We hope to expand our reach locally and globally while diversifying our services in the near future.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Visual Art and Special Needs Educator with over 10 years experience teaching children and adults with special needs both in the USA and Jamaica, with expertise in Educational Technology to create an inclusive learning environment. I hold a Masters in Special Education with distinction from The Mico University College and a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Painting from Edna Manley School of the Visual and Performing Arts.

AWARDS

-> 2017 – Young Teacher of the Year JAYECAN Annual Award
->2020 – Grace Kennedy Exceptional Teacher in 2020

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Lecturer of special education at a Jamaican teachers college

Created history in 2019 at the Caribbean’s only exclusive school for the visually impaired when students received 100% passes in CSEC Visual Arts for the inaugural and successive sitting of the exam.

Empowered students who are visually impaired and blind participation in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Visual Arts competition which resulted in Silver, Bronze and Merit awards in Sculpture and Assemblage categories in 2017 and 2018.

Developing interactive lesson plans to deliver high-quality special education instructions to secondary level students who are blind and visually impaired with other comorbidities such autism, ADD/ ADHD and Specific Learning Disabilities.

Utilise various Assistive Technology such as braille machine, embosser, thermoform machine, adaptive keyboards, and computers to make learning more assessable to students.

Taught art in the USA for 3 summers to over 100 adult students with disabilities on a weekly basis having developed and implemented a creative curriculum for adults with various disabilities ranging from mild to profound.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
PLACES Bob Marley beach
Portland – Blue Lagoon

FOOD
KFC
My mother’s and grandmother’s cooking

THINGS
watching a Korean dramas
reading books
snorkeling

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shout Out

Alicrafters- Our Alicraft Guests
Sisters -Zola Hinds and Elise Ellis (Co-Directors)
Mother- Andrea Blair
First Photographer -Natasha Cunningham
Venue Rental – The Hub Coworking

Instagram: alicraftsja

Facebook: AlicraftsJa