The OACRS Awards Program is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the outstanding achievement of those who are working to ensure that all children have the opportunity to reach their potential.

Nominations for the 2012 Tribute Awards are now open. The deadline for submission is June 30, 2012.Nominations for the Service Awards remain open throughout the year. Nominations for the 2012 Student Scholarship are now closed.

If you would like to more information on the various awards, or to find nomination forms, please visit the links below.

OACRS is please to announce the recipient of the 2011 Advocacy Tribute Award is Lynn Ziraldo.

 

The purpose of the OACRS Advocacy Award is to recognize outstanding contributions to provincial advancement that would impact quality of life for children and youth with disabilities and their families

 

For the past 36 years, Lynn has been a prolific advocate for children with special needs, in York Region, Ontario, Canada and internationally. As the parent of two sons with special needs, Lynn has taken her knowledge and passion about services needed by kids with special needs to leaders where critical decisions are made. Her involvement with the Learning Disabilities Association locally, provincially and nationally has assisted her to advocate for All students with special needs.Through leading and participating in local, provincial and national boards, committees and workshops, she has had a long term impact on education policy and practice, always focused on equity, inclusion, and quality.

Lynn chaired the Ontario Minister of Education’s Advisory Council on Special Education (MACSE) for 10 years, served as chair of the Ministries of Education and Children and Youth Services joint Minister’s Autism Reference Group, has been President of the Canadian and Ontario Councils on Exceptional Children, and was Board Chair of the Learning Disabilities York Region. Lynn’s most satisfying accomplishments were with the Ontario Safe Schools Action Team, ensuring that mitigating circumstances could be applied to ‘zero tolerance’ for students with special needs, the bullying prevention framework, community and parental involvement, and adoption of principles to ensure that everyone can learn to the best of their ability in a school environment that is safe, accepting and respectful. Throughout her career as a tireless advocate, Lynn has stayed grounded through her ongoing membership on her local Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC). This involvement provides her with an education connection and ‘real life examples’ that she uses to raise issues to senior government officials and politicians.

Lynn continues to be a trailblazer for families of kids with special needs, and a strong voice for how we have to work together - an optimistic, patient, respectful, (and respectfully forceful when needed) , knowledgeable, humorous, and child and family-centred voice! She has used her voice to articulate social, health, education, and legal issues so leaders and policy makers are clearly aware of what kids and families need, and collaborate in resolving those issues. Leaders have listened, and Lynn’s voice has made a major difference for kids with special needs. We know they will continue to listen.