YAI
Before transitioning to the role of Principal in 2021, Shani served as the Director of Vision Education Services at the International Academy of Hope (iHOPE) having joined the school in 2016. Shani brings with her the belief that every person deserves to be an agent of their own lives: to have control over themselves and their environment, regardless of ability. She expanded the Vision department at iHOPE and implemented a variety of educational plans to foster greater independence. Shani's professional interests include teaching self-advocacy skills to young adults with disabilities and supporting education and access for children and adults who have multiple disabilities. Shani holds an MA in Communications Arts & Sciences, an MS in Special Education, is a certified Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired and has an SBL post-graduate degree from Molloy College.
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YAI
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YAI was launched in February of 1957 out of a small school in Brooklyn, New York. Initially staffed by Co-Founders Bert MacLeech and Pearl Maze MacLeech alone, their pilot program served just seven people. According to Bert, from its very beginning YAI has been dedicated to providing innovative services for the I/DD (intellectual and/or developmental disabilities) community. MacLeech envisioned a “total life adjustment approach, emphasizing personal growth, social responsibility, employment goals, and the development of independence for the individual.” At a time when institutional living was the norm for people with I/DD, this vision was nothing short of revolutionary.