L.I.F.E. Academy Students help Lee School Board to honor “Disability History and Awareness Week”

Oct. 7, 2009 - PRLog -- The Lee County School Board recently voted to distinguish the two weeks between October 4 and October 17 as “Disability History and Awareness Weeks” in the school district.  To help mark that occasion, students of the Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy attended the October 6 School Board meeting.  The students opened the meeting by presenting the Pledge of Allegiance, both verbally and using American Sign Language.

The Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy (http://www.goodwilllifeacademy.org) is a Lee County Charter School for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities.  

Before the students performed the Pledge, L.I.F.E. Academy Principal Lynn Pottorf thanked the school board for allowing the students to attend.  “The pledge refers to liberty, justice, and respect for all,” she said, noting that the purpose of the two-week celebration is to inspire more respect for persons with disabilities.

Lee County School Board member Dr. Elinor Scricca also addressed the board, expressing her appreciation for the Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy and its mission of helping students with developmental disabilities prepare for post-school adult living.  The school, she said, “reflects what can be done with caring and concern.”

School Board Chairman Jane E. Kuckel provided praise for the L.I.F.E. Academy students, as they quietly sat after their performance.  “This is probably the best behaved group of students we’ve ever had at a board meeting,” she said.

The Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy is a tuition-free public charter school that provides individualized programs designed to successfully transition young adults with developmental disabilities into post-school adult living.  In addition to preparing its students for Special Diploma Options 1 or 2, the school focuses on life skills, functional academics, and vocational skills.  

For more information about the Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy, visit http://www.goodwilllifeacademy.org or contact Principal Lynn Pottorf at (239) 334-4434.

The Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy is a program of Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida.  To learn more about Goodwill's other programs and services, visit http://www.goodwillswfl.org.

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Goodwill operates 24 thrift stores in SW Florida to support its mission of removing barriers to independence. Programs include income-sensitive housing, career placement assistance, the L.I.F.E. Academy Charter School, Four Wheels for Work, and others.