30th Anniversary History Book

Administrative staffer Lonnie Ullrich (Krafts) , President Marsha Glines , and co-founder Patricia Latham

BUCKING Tradition THE BEACON UNDERGRADUATE MODEL A LARGER Context:

As the 1980s dawned, the practice of “mainstreaming” became the preferred model for the vast majority of students diagnosed with learning disabilities and mild attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Students with other disabilities, including emotional/behavioral issues and what now is defined as autism spectrum disorder, still often were singled out. The promise of regular instruction in traditional classrooms with non-disabled peers was sporadically implemented, often delayed, and even denied. By the late 1980s, parents of the students who would attend Beacon College knew they wanted small classes, experiential learning, accommodations — such as peers to take notes — and assistive technology, said Pat Latham, an attorney in Washington, D.C. and North Florida and one of Beacon’s founding parents. “We knew from a parent’s point of view what we had seen used with our own children,” Latham said, “but what we needed was the right staffing.” Thus, when Beacon College opened its doors to students in 1989, the bare bones of its unique approach to teaching nontraditional college students were in place because of its leadership.

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