{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T16:03:01Z","timestamp":1785427381596,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783641600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    COVID-19 public health restrictions disrupted in-person arts participation, increasing risks of social isolation and reduced community access. Prior research shows that many people engaged in home-based arts and cultural activities during lockdown, supporting emotional regulation, a sense of belonging, and social connection; however, little is known about how these shifts affected community arts organizations that serve artists with intellectual and\/or developmental disabilities (IDD), a population disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and longstanding inequities. We examined how community-based arts organizations adapted programming for artists with IDD during the COVID-19 pandemic, including barriers and unanticipated outcomes relevant to equitable access and participation in community living. We conducted an online survey (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f28) and semi-structured interviews (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u202f=\u202f25) with representatives of community-based creative organizations. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis characterized technology use and adaptation strategies, and findings were interpreted using the We-Making framework. Technology use primarily emphasized connection (96%) and access (96%), with comparatively less emphasis on inclusion (79%), visibility (63%), and creativity (45%). Four roles of technology were identified: (1) enabling social connection, (2) serving as a temporary and often suboptimal substitute for in-person engagement, (3) catalyzing innovation, and (4) driving pedagogical change. Rapid implementation created new pathways for participation while also exposing persistent access barriers and prompting reflection on equitable practice. Digital and hybrid adaptations supported continuity of engagement for some artists with IDD and created opportunities to reassess program design. These findings highlight community arts organizations as public health partners for inclusive, accessible approaches to social connection and wellbeing beyond the immediate responses to crises and recovery.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1848823","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T15:18:40Z","timestamp":1783696720000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["We-making through technology: social cohesion and virtual adaptation in community arts organizations for artists with IDD during the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Yumi","family":"Shirai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family and Community Medicine, Sonoran University Center for Excellence in Disabilities, University of Arizona","place":["Tucson, AZ, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michelle Boulanger","family":"Thompson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Old Dominion University","place":["Norfolk, VA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tamara","family":"Shetron","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Education, Texas State University","place":["San Marcos, TX, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"626263","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.626263","article-title":"Predictors and impact of arts engagement during the Covid-19 pandemic: analyses of data from 19,384 adults in the Covid-19 social study","volume":"12","author":"Mak","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.puhe.2022.03.002","article-title":"How arts engagement supported social connectedness during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom: findings from the hearts survey","volume":"207","author":"Perkins","year":"2022","journal-title":"Public Health"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"244","DOI":"10.1177\/15248399221119806","article-title":"Who engaged in home-based arts activities during the Covid-19 pandemic? 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