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Autism Society of |
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A Resource for Teachers in North Carolina |
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This web page of resources for teachers is dedicated to the memory of Sara Handlan (far right in the photo). As Galene Fraley of the Asheville TEACCH center, stated, it is impossible to condense Sara’s contributions to the field of autism. Sara Handlan was foster parent to two men with autism. She was a teacher, trainer, and visionary for residential and vocational service to hundreds of others across North Carolina and the world. She worked tirelessly to develop Blue Ridge Bags, a unique employment model in Asheville for individuals with disabilities. She consistently forged connections between families, service providers, and educators in all aspects of her work. Sara was committed to building capacity in others to help individuals with autism. She loved working directly with children when consulting. She listened. She found ways to reach people where they needed support. She dedicated remarkable amounts of energy to assuring that teachers had resources, tools, and support. To understand the strength and spirit that she embodied, one should consider the thoughts of her colleagues:
Emily Houlditch, a teacher at Fairview Elementary in Buncombe County said it quite eloquently. “In the first week, I was overwhelmed, unprepared, and ready to quit. Then I met Sara. She was a force; her energy was contagious; her enthusiasm and dedication served as such a great model. Thanks to her advice and support, I felt confident enough to remain at the job and, in the end, developed deep connections to the children.” Vision Statement Teachers and educators across our state and beyond are encouraged to participate in this site. Our collective goal will be to identify and share what works in education. We will support the development of a broad and inclusive community of practice in North Carolina education. The site will support the development of program quality indicators for education of students with autism in North Carolina. The site welcomes diverse input and seeks to create unity around quality in education. This information site will be dedicated to identifying evidence-based best practices and to illustrating how these practices are carried out. Techniques and strategies that help children with autism access academic and functional (personally relevant) curriculum within our schools will be emphasized. Descriptions of accommodations and modifications of curriculum to assure learning should be presented with evidence of the success of the strategies. The use of strategies for:
Unique approaches to social and communication skills necessary for academic success and methods that support transition between any educational stages will be specifically encouraged. Identification of training resources and information will be provided as well. The site will be updated monthly. Please click on the article links below for additional information. Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. Please email ideas to John B Thomas |
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Articles of Interest
The above topics are also discussed in numerous titles that are carried in the Autism Society of North Carolina Bookstore (autismbookstore.com). Click here to go to the Bookstore web pages where you can search nearly 600 titles by author, subject, title, and keyword. |
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Copyright © 2004-2008 Autism Society of North Carolina
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