Gianino, Matthew

English

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Media Relations Administrative Offices
7-11-2007
New Grants Focus On Preparing Special Education
Personnel
Matthew Gianino
UNH Media Relations
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/news
This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Gianino, Matthew, "New Grants Focus On Preparing Special Education Personnel" (2007). UNH Today. 861.
https://scholars.unh.edu/news/861
9/11/17, 12(20 PMNew Grants Focus on Preparing Special Education Personnel
Page 1 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/cj_nr/2007/july/mg11sped.cfm.html
 
New Grants Focus On Preparing Special Education
Personnel
Contact:  Matthew Gianino 
603-862-2300
www.iod.unh.edu
July 11, 2007
DURHAM, N.H. – With the startling increase over the past 20 years in diagnoses of children
with autism, developmental issues, and other disabilities which affect the ability to learn,
significant attention has been given to the overall lack of properly qualified special education
teachers. In New Hampshire, special educators are in short supply, especially those with
expertise in the areas of early childhood special education (ESCE), augmentative and
alternative communication (AAC), and the education of children with low-incidence
developmental disabilities.
The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire, in collaboration with the
departments of education and communication sciences and disorders at UNH, hopes to
address this critical shortage through three new graduate-level certification programs
supported by three U.S. Department of Education grants totaling $2.4 million. These funds, to
be received over four years, will aid in master’s level training for 120 teachers. More than 60
percent of all funding will be used to support graduate students’ tuition and fees associated
with completing the programs.
The Preparing Excellent Teachers for All Young Children grant, a community-University
partnership, will prepare 40 New Hampshire-certified ESCE teachers and develop a teacher
education program that could be applied nationally. Participants in this two-year master’s of
education degree program will gain the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to serve
the needs of young children with disabilities and their families. Participants will benefit from
seminars via distance technology, a full-year internship experience, and a mentoring network
for support in the program and after graduation. This grant is a partnership between the
Institute on Disability and UNH department of education.
For many students with significant disabilities, the use of augmentative and alternative
communication (AAC) techniques, including the use of assistive technology, is a part of daily
social interaction and learning. Yet there are few university degree programs in New England
that prepare teachers and therapists to teach the general education curriculum to students
who use AAC. The Preparation of Speech Language Pathology Personnel in AAC grant will
support more than 40 master’s level graduate students in speech language pathology,
specializing in AAC assessment and intervention, to apply AAC techniques to promote the
learning of core academic content by students with disabilities. Participants will benefit from
full-time coursework at UNH, advanced content modules available via distance education at
several other New England universities, and hands-on classroom experiences which promote
increased membership, participation, and learning within the general education classroom by
students with disabilities.
9/11/17, 12(20 PMNew Grants Focus on Preparing Special Education Personnel
Page 2 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/cj_nr/2007/july/mg11sped.cfm.html
The Beyond Access for Teacher Education grant will support the preparation and certification
of 40 teachers who will collaborate with families, general educators, related service providers,
and other school personnel to assure that students ages 6-21 with low-incidence
developmental disabilities learn core academic content from the general education curriculum
and achieve their Individualized Educational Program (IEP) goals. Innovative coursework will
focus on developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, augmentative communication,
literacy, and positive behavior supports, as well as effective collaborative teaming and
facilitation skills.
The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to
provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and
practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to
advance policies and systems changes, promising practices, education, and research that
strengthen communities to ensure full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all
persons. For more information about the Institute on Disability and its programs, visit
www.iod.unh.edu or call 603-862-4320.


New Grants Focus On Preparing Special Education Personnel

UNH Scholars' Repository

University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices7-11-2007New Grants Focus On Preparing Special EducationPersonnelMatthew GianinoUNH Media RelationsFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationGianino, Matthew, "New Grants Focus On Preparing Special Education Personnel" (2007). UNH Today. 861.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/8619/11/17, 12(20 PMNew Grants Focus on Preparing Special Education PersonnelPage 1 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/cj_nr/2007/july/mg11sped.cfm.html New Grants Focus On Preparing Special EducationPersonnelContact:  Matthew Gianino 603-862-2300www.iod.unh.eduJuly 11, 2007DURHAM, N.H. – With the startling increase over the past 20 years in diagnoses of childrenwith autism, developmental issues, and other disabilities which affect the ability to learn,significant attention has been given to the overall lack of properly qualified special educationteachers. In New Hampshire, special educators are in short supply, especially those withexpertise in the areas of early childhood special education (ESCE), augmentative andalternative communication (AAC), and the education of children with low-incidencedevelopmental disabilities.The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire, in collaboration with thedepartments of education and communication sciences and disorders at UNH, hopes toaddress this critical shortage through three new graduate-level certification programssupported by three U.S. Department of Education grants totaling $2.4 million. These funds, tobe received over four years, will aid in master’s level training for 120 teachers. More than 60percent of all funding will be used to support graduate students’ tuition and fees associatedwith completing the programs.The Preparing Excellent Teachers for All Young Children grant, a community-Universitypartnership, will prepare 40 New Hampshire-certified ESCE teachers and develop a teachereducation program that could be applied nationally. Participants in this two-year master’s ofeducation degree program will gain the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to servethe needs of young children with disabilities and their families. Participants will benefit fromseminars via distance technology, a full-year internship experience, and a mentoring networkfor support in the program and after graduation. This grant is a partnership between theInstitute on Disability and UNH department of education.For many students with significant disabilities, the use of augmentative and alternativecommunication (AAC) techniques, including the use of assistive technology, is a part of dailysocial interaction and learning. Yet there are few university degree programs in New Englandthat prepare teachers and therapists to teach the general education curriculum to studentswho use AAC. The Preparation of Speech Language Pathology Personnel in AAC grant willsupport more than 40 master’s level graduate students in speech language pathology,specializing in AAC assessment and intervention, to apply AAC techniques to promote thelearning of core academic content by students with disabilities. Participants will benefit fromfull-time coursework at UNH, advanced content modules available via distance education atseveral other New England universities, and hands-on classroom experiences which promoteincreased membership, participation, and learning within the general education classroom bystudents with disabilities.9/11/17, 12(20 PMNew Grants Focus on Preparing Special Education PersonnelPage 2 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/cj_nr/2007/july/mg11sped.cfm.htmlThe Beyond Access for Teacher Education grant will support the preparation and certificationof 40 teachers who will collaborate with families, general educators, related service providers,and other school personnel to assure that students ages 6-21 with low-incidencedevelopmental disabilities learn core academic content from the general education curriculumand achieve their Individualized Educational Program (IEP) goals. Innovative coursework willfocus on developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, augmentative communication,literacy, and positive behavior supports, as well as effective collaborative teaming andfacilitation skills.The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 toprovide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, andpractices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is toadvance policies and systems changes, promising practices, education, and research thatstrengthen communities to ensure full access, equal opportunities, and participation for allpersons. For more information about the Institute on Disability and its programs, visitwww.iod.unh.edu or call 603-862-4320.

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New Grants Focus On Preparing Special Education Personnel

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