In Palestine, where daily life demands resilience from everyone, persons with disabilities and their families carry a double burden - navigating both occupation and exclusion. Art to Heart was founded in Nablus in 2019 on a simple but unwavering belief: that creativity belongs to everyone, and that persons with disabilities have not just the capacity but the right to create, perform, and be heard.
Art is not a luxury - it is a language, a right, and a tool for real change. Not as a metaphor, but as a practice we live every day.
What began as one woman's passion is today a registered nonprofit social enterprise working with partners and families across Palestine and beyond - challenging stereotypes, advocating for disability rights, and placing persons with disabilities not at the center of attention, but at the center of action.
Member of JAAD — Jordan Assembly for Arts & Disability - a regional network advancing arts and disability across the Arab world.
Shortlisted for the Zero Project Award 2023 - an international recognition of innovative disability inclusion practices, presented in Vienna in partnership with the United Nations.
Some people see a dream before it has taken shape. Reem Khalil was one of them.
A proud Palestinian and a lifelong activist who dedicated herself to supporting communities in need, Reem served as the Regional Executive Director of Drosos Foundation in Palestine. She first encountered Art to Heart in 2019, when it was still an initiative — nothing more than a vision in its founder's mind. Yet she believed in it immediately, and that belief changed everything.
She later wrote:
"Our partnership with Art to Heart began as a dream built on passion. The idea was nothing more than an image in its founder's mind - yet the vision was so clear in Suha's head that we could picture the dream as if it were already drawn before us. And here we are today, watching it become a living reality that has helped plant hope, laughter, and joy in the hearts of many children, their peers, and their families."
Reem did not just fund a vision - she held it with us.
In 2022, we lost Reem to cancer. Her passing left a grief that words struggle to carry. But her legacy does not sit quietly - it lives in every smile she helped happen, every family she stood behind, and every door she opened when Art to Heart was still finding its feet.
In 2022, Art to Heart named its inclusive summer club after her: Reem Khalil Inclusive Summer Club. A small gesture for someone who gave so much.
Reem lives with us. Forever.
Our programs are grounded in UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 8, and 10 — contributing to a more inclusive, equitable, and healthy society.
Through arts-based psychosocial support for children, youth, mothers, and facilitators, A2H supports mental health and emotional well-being in Palestinian communities.
A2H delivers inclusive, arts-based learning and life skills development for persons with disabilities, supporting equitable access to education and lifelong learning.
Through its Economic Empowerment program, A2H supports income generation and market access for artists with disabilities, promoting decent work and economic inclusion.
By challenging ableism and advancing disability inclusion, A2H works to reduce barriers and promote full participation in society.
We are a leading nonprofit organization that uses art and creativity to empower people with disabilities, build better lives for them, and contribute to a more inclusive society.
We empower persons with disabilities socially, psychologically, and economically through participatory arts and cultural practices.
We nurture creativity, celebrate talents, and enhance social inclusion while advocating for disability rights.
We are committed to promoting and working toward the social integration of our students and members into the community by encouraging participation in the artistic and cultural life of Palestine.
We aim to nurture and inspire our members' creative instincts and abilities through helping them develop both artistic and social skills.
A free and inclusive Palestine where persons with disabilities live with full dignity, equal rights, and a rightful place in cultural and social life.
We see persons with disabilities as full human beings with rights, stories, and creative power. Every interaction, program, and space at Art to Heart is built around the belief that dignity is non-negotiable.
We believe that disability is not a personal limitation — it is a social and political reality shaped by systemic barriers. We work to dismantle those barriers and advocate for full and equal participation.
Art is not a luxury or a therapeutic tool — it is a language, a right, and a force for change. We believe in the creative potential of every person and build spaces where that potential is celebrated.
Real inclusion is about transforming spaces so everyone genuinely belongs. We design our programs, services, and partnerships with inclusion as a starting point, not an afterthought.
Accessibility at Art to Heart goes beyond ramps and entrances. It means making our programs, communications, and culture genuinely reachable for persons with disabilities and their families.
Because one approach cannot include everyone, we design and adapt our programs to respond to different needs. Equity means actively removing the barriers that limit persons with disabilities.
We are building an inclusive Palestine where art serves as a powerful language beyond words, empowering persons with disabilities to create, connect, and contribute with dignity and justice alongside everyone else.
