30th Anniversary History Book

Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)

President George J. Hagerty signs historic

memorandum of understanding in Sharjah.

In its most comprehensive international partnership to date, Beacon College and the Emirate of Sharjah are collaborating to expand the services provided to those with learning and attention issues (LAI) who reside in the United Arab Emirates. In March 2017, President Hagerty and several faculty and staff members visited the United Arab Emirates at the invitation of a member of the royal family. At the Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties, the Beacon team discussed the importance of developing social skills among students with learning challenges. “With the LD population, very often we think we need to develop academic skills and other skills will develop on their own, which is not true,” says Dr. Oksana Hagerty, assistant director of Beacon’s Center for Student Success. “You have to work with the social skills and learning skills before you can even tackle the academic side of life.” At the conclusion of this promising visit, President Hagerty and Her Excellency Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al-Qasimi, vice president of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and director general of the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, signed a historic memorandum of understanding (MoU) on March 15, 2017. The Sharjah government estimates that 65,000 students with learning disabilities reside in its emirate alone. Under the MoU’s provisions, Beacon held the first of its collaborative training sessions in August 2017, when 25 UAE teachers attended a week- long workshop at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce to learn the latest techniques for teaching students with learning differences.

Longwood, Fla., was instrumental in the design and delivery of the inaugural program and the college collaborated with The Fletcher School of Charlotte, N.C., to enhance its repertoire of options for K-12 educators in the context of instructional design and evolving technology. Beacon’s expertise in understanding and serving collegians with learning and attention issues also has been solicited under the terms of the written agreement.

The Sharjah government estimates that 65,000 students with learning disabilities reside in its emirate alone.

One of the college’s K-12 partners, Pace Brantley School of

In September 2018, Drs. George and

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