Maurice A. Donahue School

As part of Autism Education Month, Donahue School has scheduled an HPS Family Night for 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, April 27. The program will include lots of information sharing, pride, make-and-take sensory items, fun, and so much more! The event is open to all HPS families.

Because April is Autism Education Month, school leaders have been sharing important resources with staff, including daily emails that share autistic/neurodiverse experiences through the voices of those in the autistic community. An important part of the work is to break down the walls of ableism, which is discrimination and prejudice against people with varying abilities and disabilities.

“At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability,” said Disability Inclusion Training Specialist Ashley Eisenmenger.

Challenging personal assumptions often leads to discomfort, school leaders agree.

“The willingness to unlearn some of our past practices and thoughts around ableism is so important for our students and for building a culture of inclusion, equity and equality,” said BCBA Jessica Askew.