March 1, 2003

 

COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN DIVISION ON VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS PRESENTS 2003 AWARDS AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

DIVISION ON VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS’ EXEMPLARY ADVOCATE AWARD

          The Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Visual Impairments is proud to present the Exemplary Advocate Award to Dr. Nancy D. Safer at the International Conference in Seattle on April 10, 2003.

          Dr. Safer is the Executive Director of the Council for Exceptional Children, where she provides strategic and operational leadership in the management and coordination of the organization of 50,000 special educators, related professionals, and families.  During her tenure at CEC, Dr. Safer has supported many initiatives of DVI, most notably the National Plan for Training Personnel, a strategic plan to alleviate the shortages of qualified teachers of blind children.

Dr. Safer joined CEC in 1994 as the Deputy Executive Director, following 17 years with the United States Department of Education where she held several key administrative positions.  Her last position with the Department was Director of Educational Services in the Office of Special Education Programs.  As director, she was responsible for the Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Program and the Preschool Formula Grants Program, as well as other discretionary grants programs such as Secondary and Transition Services, Postsecondary Programs, Programs for Students with Disabilities, and the Media and Captioning Services Program. 

Dr. Safer has directed research related to services for children and youth with disabilities, including Congressionally mandated evaluation studies.  She has developed and evaluated innovative models and programs for improving education of infants, children, and youth with disabilities and has assisted State and local education agencies in improving services for students with disabilities.  Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Education in 1977, she worked for several years as a research associate in a private agency and two years as a special education teacher in Philadelphia.

In addition to the numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the field of special education, Dr. Safer has authored many scholarly articles including The implications of minimum competency standards and testing for handicapped students and congressional reports such as The commercial feasibility of described television services.  As a result of her dedication and outstanding contribution to the field, it is with great pleasure that the Division on Visual Impairments awards Dr. Nancy D. Safer the Exemplary Advocate Award for 2003.

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For further information about the Division on Visual Impairments’ Exemplary Advocate Award, please contact Dr. Stuart Wittenstein at (510) 794-3816.