The Department of VSA (Very Special Arts) and Accessibility (formerly VSA Arts) is an international nonprofit organization. It was started in 1974 by Ambassadress Jean Kennedy Smith. It helps people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA provides educators, parents, and artists with resources to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA also shows the works of artists with disabilities. Affiliated with the Kennedy Center since 2005, VSA was official merged into the organization in 2011 to become part of the Center's Department of VSA and Accessibility.