September, 2002
Contact: Holly Brooker
(845) 255-1450 xt.1301

For the past four years, Backenroth and a treatment team of dedicated professionals (assistant, aides, nurse, speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, social worker, psychologist, an adaptive physical education (APE) teacher, and art and music therapists) spend each day with students in the Ulster BOCES Special Education’s Life Skills Development program.

“While the Life Skills program has always been part of the Special Education program here at Ulster BOCES, the students in this particular classroom are not only physically challenged, but are also medically frail,” states Backenroth, explaining that some of the children in this program require 24-hour nursing care, are in wheelchairs, and are totally dependent on the teachers and the treatment team. “Most of these students have no expressive language skills, except physical ones such as eye gaze, vocalizations for happy and sad, facial expression, and sounds made with some type of assistive communication technology.”

For her and her team’s dedication, commitment, and recognition of abilities in students with physical and medical challenges, Backenroth was recently recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Backenroth is very proud to accept her award on behalf of all the members of the treatment team. “The team changes from one year to the next and each member has been just wonderful. There is a lot of carrying over from each other from year-to-year. Each member of the team plays a huge part and works very hard. We could not do it without each other,” says Backenroth.

“Ruth was recognized because of the unusual nature of the classroom that she and the team have been able to put together to offer services to children with very, very unique and special needs,” states Barbara Zolnowski, Ulster BOCES supervisor of Special Education at Lenape and Highland.

“What sets this program apart is that it is totally integrated within the community of a public school setting,” explains Zolnowski. “The children go to the cafeteria with everyone else despite the fact that they are either fed by a G-tube (gastronomy tube) or hand-over-hand. The students also go to the library, gym, play yard, assemblies, and are paired up on a daily basis with Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) partners. There is much available in terms of assisted-technology and adaptations to their curriculum.”

For example, the children can actually call in the day’s attendance to Zolnowski’s office. Even though they are unable to speak, the students can do this by pressing a tape recorder message, which Backenroth has preprogrammed to tell the secretary who is absent.

“Ruth has truly done wonders with her students and her classroom. When people walk into Ruth’s classroom, the first thing they see are activities going on that would be very similar to what would be going on in a regular kindergarten classroom. It is only when they are ready to leave that they become aware of the fact that there are no desks and chairs in our classroom; the children are all sitting in wheelchairs or other types of orthopedic equipment,” states Zolnowski. “Our entire staff feels very honored that Ruth was recognized.”

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is based in Arlington, Virginia and is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving education outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. The CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides continual professional development, advocates for newly and historically under-served individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.