FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 4, 2008
Contact: PACER Center
(952) 838-9000, (800) 53-PACER
PACER employee receives national award
Sharman Davis Barrett of PACER Center received a prestigious national award from the national Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) on Friday, Feb. 1, in Washington D.C. for her work on behalf of persons with disabilities.
CADRE, based in Oregon, gives the Keys to Access Award to an individual or entity that has supported special education programs, early intervention services, and persons with disabilities and has:
- Promoted the welfare of society and supported peaceful and welcoming communities.
- Demonstrated the value of diversity in policy, practice and perspective.
- Encouraged cooperative processes among institutions in our society.
- Supported collaborative relationships between individuals with the goal of achieving an inclusive society.
- Promoted justice, equity and respect for all individuals.
- Embodied in professional and personal relationships those qualities that foster and support full participation and self-determination.
Barrett is the co-director of the Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers. PACER Center is the National Center for Parent Technical Assistance. The Keys to Access Award was presented to Barrett at the 11th Annual ALLIANCE National Conference.
Marshall Peter, Director of CADRE, praised Barrett for her work. “In her capacity at PACER, and then as co-director of the ALLIANCE where she has coordinated multicultural outreach, Sharman has repeatedly demonstrated her absolute commitment to the well-being of underserved children and their families,” he said.
“CADRE particularly wants to acknowledge Sharman’s leadership in making dispute resolution processes and their effective utilization more easily understood by parents, especially her co-authorship of parent guides and a video related to mediation, IEP facilitation, and resolution meetings,” Peter added.
“She isn’t just a soldier for social justice,” said Phil Moses, Assistant Director of CADRE. “Sharman’s a captain, an admiral, a commander-in-chief for social justice. There isn’t any individual who has done more to encourage the use of collaborative approaches for resolving special education disputes about children who live in underserved communities than Sharman.”
“We’re delighted that Sharman’s tireless work has been recognized,” said Paula F. Goldberg, PACER Center’s executive director. “In 21 years of working at PACER, Sharman has made a difference in the lives of many parents and children, in Minnesota and nationwide.”
Barrett has advised CADRE as a member of its National Advisory Board. She has also served on many other boards, including the IRIS Project at Vanderbilt, Family Voices, Howard University’s Research and Training Center and the Heath Resource Center.
Past recipients of the Keys to Access Award include: Myrta Cuadra and Richard M. Lash, Sinergia; Mobility International, U.S.A.; Professor John Paul Lederach; National Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown University; Professor Floyd D. Weatherspoon, Capital Law School; and the Hon. Robert M. Bell, Chief Judge, Maryland Court of Appeals.
PACER Center is a Minnesota-based national parent center for families of children and young adults with all types of disabilities and special health needs. PACER provides varied resources such as publications, workshops, and individualized assistance. It helps families make decisions about education, vocational training, employment, and other services for their child with disabilities.
PACER is located at 8161 Normandale Blvd. Minneapolis, MN 55437-1044. For more information call (952) 838-9000 (voice); (952) 838-0190 (TTY) or (888) 248-0822 (toll-free) or visit the Web site: www.PACER.org.
CADRE works to increase the nation’s capacity to effectively resolve special education disputes, reducing the use of expensive adversarial processes. CADRE works with state and local education and early intervention systems, parent centers, families and educators to improve programs and results for children with disabilities. CADRE is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education..
CADRE is located at P.O. Box 51360 Eugene, OR 97405-0906. For more information call (541) 686-5060 (voice), (541) 686-5063 (FAX), or (541) 284-4740 (TTY) or visit the Web site at www.directionservice.org/cadre.
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PACER's site offers many PDF files for download, which require 
