Thank You for being part of Common Senses Festival 2025
May 2025 | Omaha, NE
We're so grateful to everyone who joined us this May to celebrate access, inclusion, and creativity across Omaha. Whether you danced at Risky Disco, rode elevators all over Omaha during Going Up, or joined the dialogue around disability and the arts at Common Conversations, your presence helped shape this year's Festival into something unforgettable.
⬇️ See the recap ⬇️
Preferred Interest
Going Up: The Elevator Experience
In collaboration with Autism Action Partnership, elevator enthusiasts united and ascended the buildings of Downtown Omaha. This featured stops at FNBO’s 40th floor, Omaha’s oldest elevator at the Burlington building, the glass elevator at the Durham Museum, and others.
Film
We screened three powerful films that each explore deeply personal narratives—together, they challenge societal norms and advocate for greater inclusivity, access, and understanding.
My Disability Roadmap
The Making of Sensorium Ex
Natural Disorder
Common Conversations
Inclusivity Reimagined
We hosted a day of discourse dedicated to the importance of strength-based interventions and leaning into individuals’ preferred interests.
Building Accessibility in the Arts
We heard from industry leaders on how they strive to perfect the art of inclusion and accessibility within their productions.
Science & Technology
AAC Retrospective and Exploration
With our partners from the Munroe-Meyer Institute and Kiewit Luminarium, we explored the history and importance of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
Performing Arts
Risky Disco
We hosted an electrifying sensory workshop where people of all cognitive and physical profiles explored creativity without limits.
Voices Untethered
A curated poetry showcase at the Benson Theatre featuring Lateef McLeod and writers from our workshop series led by the Nebraska Writers Collective.
Scribble
We hosted an inclusive dance party and interactive visual art installation, co-designed with autistic audiences in mind.
Sensorium Ex
We premiered Sensorium Ex, a groundbreaking opera by Paola Prestini and Brenda Shaughnessy that fuses AI, disability, and performance in an innovative artistic experience.
The mission of Common Senses is to explore and celebrate the uniqueness and commonalities of all of humanity with a focus on arts, science, and disability acceptance.
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The video opens with a dark purple background. “Common Senses Festival” in white text shows up and to the left are 8 coral color graphics of various shapes grouped together.
White text: “May 10-25. Omaha, Nebraska. Every voice shakes the world.” The last sentence is then surrounded by those graphics in various colors.
The video changes to a Black man with a shaved head and a short beard, wearing a white shirt. He is sitting in a wheelchair. His name is Dr. Lateef McLeod. He is a poet, author, disability advocate, and festival speaker. He speaks to the camera using technology and says, “I want people to know that how I communicate is not strange, weird, or outlandish, but it is very straight forward.” Video cuts to him in his wheelchair in another room, wearing a formal suit. “I communicate typing into an AAC app, that is on my laptop, iPad, and iPhone, and then the app speaks for me.” The video goes back to the previous setting. “Also I’m highly educated, currently pursuing a doctorate. So, I have a lot to say.”
The video cuts back to a purple background. In white and coral font, text says, “See the world through each other’s eyes.
The video cuts to clips of someone making movement, another singing, another typing.
Text pops up and says, “A new opera Sensorium Ex at University of Nebraska Omaha.”
The video cuts to clips of a man and then a teenage boy in a wheelchair. Someone drawing on an iPad. Text, “Scribble at the Rose Performing Arts for Children and Families,” as more clips of various people watching iPad scribbles on a projector screen.
People dancing, a large venue room, families and other people getting together to look at pieces of scientific art. “AAC Retrospective at Kiewit Luminarium.” A wheelchair with a table on it that has a flat “keyboard” of sorts, with squares that have the alphabet and some basic common words. More keyboard technology.
An older man in a costume, opening his “wings.” Text that says “Risky Disco” flies from right to left in the clip and goes back to the center. More text says, “A sensory workshop to explore your curiosity.”
A new clip of motion graphics acting like elevator lights. Text says, “Going up: The Elevator Experience. A preferred interest for people with Autism.”
Panelists and an audience. “Films & dialogues at Film Streams.
A young woman signing in ASL. “Poetry workshops at Nebraska Writers Collective.”
“And visionary speakers,” as various clips of Dr. Lateef McLeod socializing with others come back to the video. “For me, communication being a right is self-evident. Since humans are social animals, we all need to be socially engaged with other people, and being capable of adequately communicating is an integral part of that.”
Video cuts back to the purple background with white and coral text. “We welcome every voice to shake the world. May 10 - 25, 2025.” Common Senses Festival logo. “Follow us @csensesfest, www.commonsensesfestival.com, Omaha, Nebraska” and then the partners at the bottom: Kiewit Luminarium, University of Nebraska Omaha, Autism Action Partnership, The Rose Performing Arts of Children and Families, and Film Streams.