Dr. Mary Lou Ford-Dallam
The 2011 NAEA/ CEC/ VSA Beverly Levett Gerber Special Needs Lifetime Achievement Award is given to Dr. Mary Lou Ford-Dallam. Mary Lou, one of the founders of the NAEA Special Needs Issues Group, was its first secretary. She served as the Pennsylvania Art Education Association representative of Special Needs in art education and helped to establish the NAEA Pennsylvania Special Interest Group on Special Needs, the first state group in the country. She is now retired as an Educational Consultant for the state of Pennsylvania but continues to be a leading voice for the inclusion of students with special needs.
Mary Lou’s advocacy has taken many forms. She served as a member of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Institute for Arts Educators Steering Committee and Faculty where her ideas guided strategies for an inclusive pilot program. She was a major force behind and a contributor to the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s arts standards, assessments, and professional education. Mary Lou brought her own high professional standards and insights to the development of teacher training materials and authored the Pennsylvania Department of Education website’s visual art section for art teachers of students with special needs. In addition, she designed and conducted in-service teacher training workshops in the arts, integrating the arts across the curriculum. Mary Lou provided information, technical assistance and support to many different groups including the Pennsylvania Very Special Arts, museums, and community organizations. Her consistent goal was the creation of arts education opportunities and programs for students with special needs. Clyde McGeary, of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, writes that “Her dedication and ‘stick to it’ attitude enabled many, many educators and parents to realize how important expressive arts programs are to all children, especially to those with special needs.”
Mary Lou demonstrated still another skill. She managed to find ways around funding roadblocks. Virginia Fitzpatrick, a former Pennsylvania Art Education Association Historian, describes this best. “Although State government and its priorities changed through the years, Ms. Dallam stayed focused on providing art experiences for all students in Pennsylvania. . . In her quiet and persistent way, she made sure that no one forgot those to whom she dedicated her professional life.”
Mary Lou’s advocacy has taken many forms. She served as a member of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Institute for Arts Educators Steering Committee and Faculty where her ideas guided strategies for an inclusive pilot program. She was a major force behind and a contributor to the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s arts standards, assessments, and professional education. Mary Lou brought her own high professional standards and insights to the development of teacher training materials and authored the Pennsylvania Department of Education website’s visual art section for art teachers of students with special needs. In addition, she designed and conducted in-service teacher training workshops in the arts, integrating the arts across the curriculum. Mary Lou provided information, technical assistance and support to many different groups including the Pennsylvania Very Special Arts, museums, and community organizations. Her consistent goal was the creation of arts education opportunities and programs for students with special needs. Clyde McGeary, of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, writes that “Her dedication and ‘stick to it’ attitude enabled many, many educators and parents to realize how important expressive arts programs are to all children, especially to those with special needs.”
Mary Lou demonstrated still another skill. She managed to find ways around funding roadblocks. Virginia Fitzpatrick, a former Pennsylvania Art Education Association Historian, describes this best. “Although State government and its priorities changed through the years, Ms. Dallam stayed focused on providing art experiences for all students in Pennsylvania. . . In her quiet and persistent way, she made sure that no one forgot those to whom she dedicated her professional life.”