Awards

Named in honor of Margaret Burley, former executive director of the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities for 39 years, the Margaret Burley Impact Award recognizes someone who has made a significant impact on those with disabilities. As a parent herself of a son with disabilities, Margaret advocated for her son's right and ability to learn, grow and be a contributing member of their community. Under her guidance and the guidance of others, the Ohio Coalition went from one part-time director to an agency with more than 25 staff members and a $2.5 million budget. 

The nominees of the Impact Award have served as mentors, coaches, advocates, and/or connectors for the disability community and have demonstrated ongoing and continuous passion, dedication, and support.

Dr. Camille Brandt
Associate Professor, Bemidji State University

Dr. Camille Brandt is an associate professor of education at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, MN. She began her career thirty years ago as a special education teacher who advocated for and developed inclusive education experiences for students with autism so they could attend general education classes in their neighborhood schools. She designed an inclusive education collaborative model that is still in use in her former school district. She has served as a mentor to new special education teachers for the state of North Dakota and worked as an advocate for parents and children in early education. With a team of undergraduate students 10 year ago, she mentored a group of local professionals in the art community to design an inclusive student-centered antecedent-support based museum experience with art classes for students on the spectrum. This is now a fully-funded program at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, ND. She and her family also founded Children's Montessori in 2007 – an inclusive early education program currently serving over 100 families in her community.