Claremont, Calif. (November 16, 2010) — Pitzer College Trustee Deborah Deutsch Smith, PhD ’68 was one of 200 who will be in attendance at the US Department of Education and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services’ 35th anniversary celebration of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington DC on November 18.
Smith is the co-principal investigator of the IRIS Center for Training Enhancements, a national center, funded by the federal Office of Special Education Programs, that provides interactive modules and other training materials that focus on the education of students with disabilities. The Center is a partnership of Claremont Graduate University and Vanderbilt University.
The IRIS Center is one of three national organizations chosen by Dr. Donald Deshler, director for the Center of Research and Learning at the University of Kansas School of Education, to be showcased at the event before members of Congress and their staff, education leaders, advocates, educators, academics and government officials.
The IDEA was passed originally in 1975, with the commitment to ensuring that children with disabilities have opportunities to develop their talents, share their gifts and contribute to their communities.
