Vincent Smith School Special Education /
College Fair Exposes Parents to Providers

The Vincent Smith School hosted its 8th Annual Special Education College Fair on Sunday, November 21, 2010. The theme of this year's fair was, "It's Okay to Learn Differently." Vincent Smith, located in Port Washington, is the premier independent school on Long Island dedicated to serving the needs of reluctant learners and students with learning disabilities such as ADD, ADHD, Asperger Syndrome, and expressive and receptive language issues in grades 4-12.

Vincent Smith School Board trustees and administrators created the Special Education/College Fair in response to the Island-wide call to share information about learning disabilities. The annual fair has a history of meeting the ever-increasing needs of Long Island's parents and professionals who have ties to special education. It would not have been possible without the support of New York Community Bank Foundation, Long Island Neuropsychological Consultants, My SHINE Program, ABC-Write start Read!, Inc., Susan Luger Associates, MetDesk – William Heslin and Gloria Wagner, Mosaic Foundation for Autism and the Law Offices of Neal Rosenberg, Esq. who served as this year's sponsors. Each of these organizations and individuals has a history of working to improve special education services on Long Island.

The special education fair allowed participants to access information from the Island's service providers – parent organizations, after school programs, education remediation, hospital providers, financial planners, legal advisory services, transition planners, preschool programs, college programs, etc. "We have found the special education fair to be an important aspect of our community outreach," said Arlene Wishnew, Head of School. "Without the generous support of our sponsors and the commitment to participate from service providers, a lot of families would not have important information about or access to, needed services."

Professional organizations that participated in this year's special education fair included, but are not limited to, Adelphi University/Speech and Hearing Center; AHA;AXA Advisors; Law Offices of Lauren A. Baum; Brian Howard Entertainment & Talent; Camp Loyaltown AHRC; Center for Wealth Preservation; Dee Ri Institute of Drums & Percussion; East Meadow Little League Challenger Division; ABC-Write Start Read!, Inc.; Giant Step Services; Girl Scouts of Nassau County; Hofstra University Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic; Hope Fitness Sports Foundation; HorseAbility Therapeutic Riding Program; Jewish Child Care Association-Compass Project; Law Offices of Andrew Cohen, Esq.; Lifelong Learning Consulting; Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes; Long Island Neuropsychological Consultants; Long Island Parent Center; Dr. Susan Lotto; Marion K. Salomon & Associates; MetDESK-Center for Special Needs Planning; Mitchell College; Mosaic Foundation for Autism; Music Therapy Academy; Music Therapy Services; My SHINE Program; NAMI Queens/Nassau; Nassau County PAL; New York Institute of Technology – VIP Program; New York Life Insurance Company; NJ "Y" Camps; North Shore Learning Associates; Northwestern Mutual-Financial Network; Oasis College Support Program-Pace University; Opti-Healthcare; PSCH; QSAC-Quality Services for Autism Community; Rebecca Center for Music Therapy; Law Offices of Neal Rosenberg; Sid Jacobson JCC-Special Services Dept.; St. John's University/Speech & Hearing Center; Summit Camp and Travel; Susan Luger Associates; Wayne Rock-Advocate; and the Vincent Smith School. Countless other organizations sent informational materials that were shared with visitors at a resource table.

Organizations who are interested in participating in next year's Special Education Fair and being added to our mailing list for vendors may contact Debra Galinsky at 516-365-4900 or by email at dgalinsky@vincentsmithschool.org.