Director’s Message

When I received a call from the “Department of Education,” recognizing Pattison’s Academy as a program of excellence, my jaw dropped…and that was even before I learned it was the United States Department of Education, not the State. On November 2, The USDE’s Director of Special Education Programs, Laurie VanderPloeg hosted a virtual showcase of Pattison’s Academy, highlighting our excellence in special education programming and reopening amidst COVID-19. The 132 attendees from the Dept of Education and legislative offices attended a virtual tour to gain insight into Pattison’s Interdisciplinary Model, and learn about the specialized curricula we use directly from our teachers and therapists. We hosted three panels, covering Pattison’s Academy’s model and impact, our advocacy efforts on behalf of students with disabilities, and our reopening planning process amidst COVID-19. It isn’t easy to fit the scope and scale of Pattison’s Academy into 75 minutes, but our stakeholders beautifully conveyed the strength of our programs and community. Together, we showed that with dedicated staff and uniquely tailored programming, the sky's the limit for students with severe disabilities. All children should have the right to individualized, challenging education. Our students are capable of progress, and at Pattison’s Academy, they are shattering their glass ceilings.