Janet Williamson Honored as EP's "Parent of the Year"

The cause of people with disabilities took center stage on Monday, July 30th when Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), in cooperation with Exceptional Parent Magazine and Red Sox minor league baseball team the Lowell Spinners, sponsored Disability Awareness Night at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA.

Disability Awareness Night honored the contributions of 54 million Americans with disabilities, their families, and caregivers. Among them was the IOD's own Janet Williamson, who received the EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award from MassMutual's Terry McMahon at a pre-game ceremony at home plate.

Janet was among the first class to graduate from the IOD's NH Leadership Series, a program which supports self-advocacy and leadership skills for individuals with disabilities and their family members who wish to affect change at a personal, community, and statewide level to support the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities in their schools and communities.

"It was there that I developed many of my advocacy skills and learned how to dream again for Jeff," said Janet during her brief remarks that evening.

One of her most remarkable accomplishments came in the late 1980's when she won a NH Supreme Court Case allowing her son Jeff to attend classes at Manchester West High School in New Hampshire.

Along with Janet's work with Innovation Facilitators (a network of trainers and facilitators in person-centered planning) and the NH Leadership Series at the IOD, she currently serves on the Board of Directors at both the Future Planning Networks of New Hampshire, a non-profit organization which helps families plan for "a safe and secure future for their loved one with a disability," and SmartCare, an organization which provides in-home care for the elderly and individuals who use wheelchairs.