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DocuSign Envelope ID: 1327919D -9891- 4603- B056- 5CA1EBBFDF23 <br />EXHIBIT A: PROVIDER'S OUTSIDE AGENCY APPLICATION <br />2. AGENCY INFORMATION (Be Very Brief and Concise) <br />Please provide the following information about your agency (2 pages OR LESS): <br />a) Years in Operation, Date of Incorporation (MonthlYear): March 6, 2007 <br />b) Agency's Purpose /Mission (no more than a few sentences): The mission of Voices <br />Together is to empower individuals with developmental disabilities to transform their lives. <br />Language, social /emotional life skills are developed to enable the students for opportunities <br />in improving their education and making a healthy transition to an independent life that will <br />contribute to their community. <br />c) Types of Services the Agency Provides (bullet format): Using a specialized music -based <br />therapy approach, our board - certified Music Therapists will engage students to assist in <br />improvement of the student's social, cognitive and emotional behaviors. The programs that <br />currently exist are as follows: <br />• Voices Together in the Community: programming for individuals of all ages in the <br />community <br />• Little Voices in the Community: programming for early intervention targeted towards <br />3 -5 year -olds (pre- school age) <br />• Voices Together in Education: programming for students in special <br />education /exceptional children classrooms <br />• Voices Together Vocational Training: programming for students ages 14 -21 enrolled <br />in traditional /alternative secondary or post - secondary program, targeted towards <br />work readiness, job exploration and self - advocacy skills. <br />Agency's History with Providing These Services: For a decade, Voices Together has <br />been providing weekly programming for students in seven districts in Central North Carolina. <br />Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence -based use of music interventions to accomplish <br />non- musical goals. Public schools and agency administrators and academic partners have <br />all labeled Voices Together a best practice. "I believe that this program is an innovative <br />educational model that can be used in all classrooms. l have seen students in special education <br />classrooms increase vital skills from one session to the next. This is a best practice in education.'" - <br />Jan Riggsbee, Ed. D, Director and chair of Duke's Program in Education <br />Partnerships with the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, the Duke Bass <br />Connections research team, and the Duke Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) have <br />yielded outstanding results that establish the Voices Together evidence -based model a <br />"best practice ". The first research project completed by the Duke team in 2014/15 was <br />published in the international journal of Autism Research and Treatment. <br />"A study conducted in Durham Public Schools by Duke researchers in 21175 showed that <br />provision of the Voices Together program resulted in significant increases in communication <br />skills among children with developmental disabilities. The mean improvement reflected a <br />change from one word to phrase speech. "- Dr. Geraldine Dawson, <br />Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Director Duke Center for Autism and Brain <br />Development_ <br />Agency Information 1/2212018 1 :39:57 PM Page 10 of 25 <br />