LaGrange Area Department of Special Education Celebrates 50 Years of Service to Students with Disabilities

This year, the LaGrange Area Department of Special Education (LADSE) celebrates its proud past as it recognizes 50 years of serving students with disabilities. LADSE…A Proud Past, A Promising Future is the theme of a special LADSE anniversary dinner at the LaGrange Country Club on October 17, to which the District #61 community is invited. John Williams, WGN radio talk show host, is the special guest emcee for the evening. Tickets are $35.00 and advance reservations are required. Call Peg Bell at LADSE 708.482.1155.

LADSE is a special education cooperative based in LaGrange, Illinois that provides 17 member districts with services for students with special needs. LADSE was established as the first special education joint agreement cooperative in Illinois in 1957 when C. Lewis Martin, Assistant Superintendent of LaGrange/LaGrange Park District 102, recognized the need for more organized and appropriate services for students with special needs, and successfully worked to modify Illinois School code to allow the formation of special education joint agreements.

District #61 has been a partner with LADSE during these past 50 years. This partnership has been successful because of the dedication and professionalism of the LADSE and district staff and administrators who have worked with families to assure a quality education for students challenged with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. A strong principle on which LADSE and its member districts have agreed is the commitment to educate students with disabilities in their neighborhood schools and community activities. This has gained LADSE national recognition and has greatly benefited the LADSE community.

Under the current Executive Director, Dr. Jim Surber, LADSE became the first special education cooperative to support a general education reading initiative, recognizing the need to support research-validated teaching practices to reduce the number of students with reading disabilities. In the near future, LADSE will support districts in developing a blueprint for implementation of the RtI (Response-to-Intervention) component in the Illinois special education regulations adopted June, 2007.

Check out the LADSE website (www.ladse.org) for information about programs and services it offers to district staff and families. Thank you, District #61 for many years of partnership and support.