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April, 2024
Dear Friends,
In observance of Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, I asked The Timothy School's Executive Director, Sarah Greim, what the month means to her, the school, our students and families and the community:
When I began teaching at The Timothy School 24 years ago, autism was widely known for the most part, but it was certainly not widely accepted, and it most definitely was not understood.
Since its inception in 1966, The Timothy School has been a pioneer in autism education, and a leader ahead of its time in its consistent efforts to raise awareness and understanding in the community. Our mission to educate and empower students with autism, and enable them to fully participate in their school and home communities, has continued to grow and develop exponentially throughout the years.
During my initial years as a teacher, there were a handful of places we could take our students where we knew they would be accepted and we would not be met with frosty receptions from other patrons or workers. Through community partnerships and development opportunities, we helped educate other organizations about autism, and how to welcome autistic individuals into their establishments.
Concurrently, we worked with our students to develop their independence in life skills and community safety in order to increase their ability to successfully engage in community experiences. This involved assessing their sensory and behavioral needs, and implementing strategies to help them access community outings, field trips and community-based instruction.
As the years progressed, we began to incorporate work experiences through on-campus internships to prepare our students for eventual work opportunities that may arise for them outside of The Timothy School's walls.
Today, the efforts of so many Timothy School staff members and students have paid off. Our Secondary students now hold several off-campus internships at locations such as Wawa and Jo-Ann Fabric.
It is a tremendous feeling to look back on the last twenty-four years and see how far we've come in advancing our mission and educating/empowering students with autism.
We must continue to spread the word and educate others, but if our history is any indication, I believe the future looks bright for autism awareness and acceptance.
Thank you, Sarah, for your dedication and commitment to leading the school into its next decade of success.
For more from Sarah, please be sure to watch or listen to her interview with Be The Good Media.
Thank you,
Sarah Louise Hale
shale@thetimothyschool.org
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