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Special Needs in Art Education Interest Group
Before the Special Needs Interest Group became a reality, NAEA conference attendees filled the rooms of presenters like Peter Geisser (RI), Adrienne Hunter (PA), Susan Loesl (WI), and Doris Guay (OH) to hear about special needs students in art rooms. Since most art educators have had little training in special education there was and is a need for information about students with special needs. The NAEA presentations shared teaching and classroom management experiences.
After a presentation, attendees often gathered to continue the session and talk to others with similar concerns. It soon became obvious that more time to talk and network was needed. The Special Needs Issues Group grew out of these informal meetings and the efforts of other NAEA members. In San Francisco , for example, members of the NAEA Board of Directors might remember Beverly Gerber's (CT) and Janet Fedorenko's (OH) requests that NAEA form a group to focus on special education students. And, if you attended the Binney&Smith reception in Los Angeles, it was unlikely that you got by Barbara Suplee (PA) without signing a petition to form a Special Needs group. Her presentation to the NAEA Delegates' Assembly received a unanimous vote of support. Once approved by the NAEA Board of Directors, the Special Needs Issues Group became a reality.
The Special Needs Issues Group now meets annually at the NAEA convention. The By-Laws reflect the reasons the group was formed: to provide information about special needs students; to give art educators an opportunity to share information with each other; and to become a liaison with other professional organizations that focus on students with disabilities. The By-Laws and minutes of the Special Needs Issues Group meetings can be accessed by clicking on Business Meeting Minutes. As an NAEA Issues Group, time is allocated at the annual convention for business meetings and Special Needs presentations, and space is provided in the NAEAnews for a bi-monthly column.
Before the Special Needs Interest Group became a reality, NAEA conference attendees filled the rooms of presenters like Peter Geisser (RI), Adrienne Hunter (PA), Susan Loesl (WI), and Doris Guay (OH) to hear about special needs students in art rooms. Since most art educators have had little training in special education there was and is a need for information about students with special needs. The NAEA presentations shared teaching and classroom management experiences.
After a presentation, attendees often gathered to continue the session and talk to others with similar concerns. It soon became obvious that more time to talk and network was needed. The Special Needs Issues Group grew out of these informal meetings and the efforts of other NAEA members. In San Francisco , for example, members of the NAEA Board of Directors might remember Beverly Gerber's (CT) and Janet Fedorenko's (OH) requests that NAEA form a group to focus on special education students. And, if you attended the Binney&Smith reception in Los Angeles, it was unlikely that you got by Barbara Suplee (PA) without signing a petition to form a Special Needs group. Her presentation to the NAEA Delegates' Assembly received a unanimous vote of support. Once approved by the NAEA Board of Directors, the Special Needs Issues Group became a reality.
The Special Needs Issues Group now meets annually at the NAEA convention. The By-Laws reflect the reasons the group was formed: to provide information about special needs students; to give art educators an opportunity to share information with each other; and to become a liaison with other professional organizations that focus on students with disabilities. The By-Laws and minutes of the Special Needs Issues Group meetings can be accessed by clicking on Business Meeting Minutes. As an NAEA Issues Group, time is allocated at the annual convention for business meetings and Special Needs presentations, and space is provided in the NAEAnews for a bi-monthly column.