COMMUNITY
A BEACON OF
Light
Beacon School promotes inclusivity, compassion and hope for the future of students with developmental disabilities. Above: Children enhance their motor skills through a range of activities.
BY MAYA MEADE | PHOTOS BY JACOB DURBIN
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Above: Students in the young adult classroom practices skills for independence, such as how to interact with others, manage money and perform household tasks.
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backdrop | Spring 2020
or many members of the Athens community, Beacon School has been a second home and a place of growth. It serves as the educational services division of the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities (ACBDD). Together, Beacon School and the ACBDD provide public education for students with significant developmental disabilities ranging from ages 3 to 21. The ACBDD has been serving the Athens community since 1957. Its vision is to have an integrated and inclusive community that follows the core values of universal respect, spending responsibly, creating thriving communities, working together and many more. Beacon School is one of a number of divisions under the ACBDD. The school provides traditional educational instruction as well as specialized services that range from adapted physical education classes to swimming to music therapy. “One of my favorite music experiences was when we sang 'Thriller' together, and each person had a different instrument that they got to play at different points in the song,” says Amanda Dick, a music therapist at Beacon School. “Through this experience, each student contributed meaningfully to the music making and worked on important skills such as taking turns and following directions.” Those specialized programs accommodate students with a variety of developmental disabilities and allow them to strengthen the skills needed in their academic and professional successes. Beacon School and the ACBDD use an Individualized
