At both Quarryville and Bart-Colerain elementary schools, 24 students from kindergarten through fifth grade completed 24 individual canvases that work together as part of a large, colorful art display to be permanently installed in their schools. Art materials and instruction were provided by Mikayla's Voice, a Pennsylvania nonprofit founded to inspire kids of all abilities to share the message of inclusion.

The event was part of the Wheels of Friendship youth art program, which was created by Mikayla's Voice with a focus on the inclusion of people with physical disabilities and has expanded to represent and include people with different disabilities. Each canvas is as unique as the artist who created it, and together they form an interactive, puzzle-like design, symbolic of school communities.

In keeping with the message and mission of Mikayla's Voice, each canvas features wheelchair tracks and a yellow spot like the ladybug in the organization's logo. The Solanco artists divided their spots into quarters, placing one in each corner as a connection to the other canvases.

Each canvas can assume any position and be rotated any way to create an endless number of options. When they unveiled their art on May 19, the young artists encouraged all students and staff at their schools to interact with the art, express their own creativity, and consider the artworks' many lessons.

Mikayla's Voice, a 501(c)(3) organization, challenges kids to create a kinder, more inclusive world where everyone has a friend. The organization believes that all students should feel valued and welcome in their school and community and understand that it's their responsibility to help others to feel the same. Mikayla's Voice's virtual and in-person programming for children and young adults seeks to build a positive and equitable culture in schools and communities. To learn more, visit http://www.mikaylasvoice.org.

Wheels of Friendship allows children to paint not with brushes, but with the wheels of a wheelchair or walker or the paws and tail of a service dog. Having started with a focus on the inclusion of people with physical disabilities, the program has expanded to represent and include people with different disabilities. Wheels of Friendship incorporates sign language for the benefit of artists who are deaf or hearing-impaired, as well as interesting textures and braille for artists with visual challenges. To learn more, visit https://wheelsoffriendship.mikaylasvoice.org.