Lynn University

The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) has announced that Marsha Glines, dean of Lynn University’s Institute for Achievement and Learning, will be honored as a trailblazer in the field of special education when she receives one of its prestigious Lewis Hine Awards for Service to Children and Youth. The awards will be presented at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on the evening of Monday, Jan. 30. Glines is one of six in the nation to be honored in the professional category.

Named for the acclaimed NCLC photographer who documented early-20th century exploitation of children, the Lewis Hine Awards honor those individuals who, either as professionals or volunteers, give of themselves and go the extra mile for the well-being of young people. The recipients, who this year hail from as far away as Wyoming and as close as  Connecticut, are selected by a distinguished panel of judges from among hundreds of nominations submitted each year by business, community and non-profit leaders.

“I am deeply honored and humbled by this recognition,” Glines said. “I’ve always known that people with disabilities can achieve the same successes as the rest of us. All they need is the proper support services and the opportunity to realize their dreams.”

As dean of Lynn’s institute, Glines directs one of America’s leading programs that serve college students with Asperger’s, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other learning and neurological disabilities (LD). She has expanded the program from 11 to 300 students a semester. Thousands of students with learning disabilities have received college degrees at Lynn University—earning them along side the university's thousands of students with traditional learning skills.

A life dedicated to children with learning disabilities

Glines' earliest memories of her mother are the roots of her dedication to helping youth with disabilities. Her mother, Olive, was a victim of the 1950s polio outbreak and spent time in an iron lung. She would eventually leave the iron lung ward and undergo extensive physical therapy. Olive never fully recovered and had to use a cane and other devices to help her walk for the rest of her life. This however, did not stop her from living a full life as a teacher. Glines saw her intelligent, capable mother overcome the effects of polio and continue a successful career in education.

“From the time I was born, and I was held up to my mom in an iron lung, I was watching and saw her life unfold,” Glines said. “She was my role model without me knowing it at the time. I always thought of the possibilities and the potential of people with disabilities early on. It didn't keep her from living her life.”

Feeling that children with learning and neurological disabilities were underserved, she set out to understand how their minds learn and in the mid-1970s created the first special education resource rooms for K-12 in Massachusetts, which became the model for the state.

Glines felt if these students with LD issues were given the proper academic support by considering how they learn and teaching them accordingly, they could be successful in college and beyond. With this idea in her mind, she went on to obtain her Ph.D. in 1988, and opened Beacon College in 1989, a school specifically designed for students with LD issues. Two years later, Glines brought her expertise to Lynn University and founded the Institute for Achievement and Learning.

More on the NCLC and the award

This year’s awards program will be chaired by Maria R. Morris, executive vice president of MetLife, Inc. Since its inception, thousands of deserving individuals have been nominated for a Lewis Hine Award and over 250 have been selected as honorees. Previous recipients have gained national and local recognition and have earned increased support, allowing them to make an even greater difference in their communities. Each of this year’s Lewis Hine Award honorees will receive a $1,000 award.

For more information about the National Child Labor Committee and the Lewis Hine Awards, visit www.nationalchildlabor.org, and for more information about MetLife and MetLife Foundation, visit www.metlife.com and www.metlife.org.

Transitions 2012

In addition to the institute's successful work with students with LD issues, for the third consecutive year, Lynn University is bringing national experts to its campus to discuss tactics for helping students with learning differences succeed in college. The annual day-long conference, Transitions 2012, is on Friday, Jan. 27. Headlining this year’s conference is Ellen Goosenberg Kent, producer of the HBO documentary I Can’t Do This But I CAN Do That: A Film For Families About Learning Differences; Debbie Phelps, principal, educator, published author and mother of Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps; and experts from Apple®, leaders in developing assistive technology.