What does MADSEC do?
- Serves as a resource for Maine schools and agencies who serve children and students with disabilities
- Represents special education within the State of Maine
- Offers quality professional development for special education teachers and administrators via numerous workshops and conferences on subjects ranging from special education law to the latest on IDEA to the best research on educating children and students with disabilities
- Provides professional support for educators who care for or teach children and students with any kind of disability, including various physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities
- Facilitates communication and collegial support
- Networks with other state leadership organizations
History of MADSEC
MADSEC was started in 1976 by a group of directors that had the foresight and vision to realize that the job of the special education administrator would be complicated. In an effort to support themselves and their peers, these professionals began to meet and to discuss the direction in which they saw special education heading. These "Founding Fathers" are Bill Breton, Wayne Dorr, Chuck Harvey, John Kierstead and Roger Raymond. MADSEC is greatly appreciative of their work in the early years of this successful association and has awarded them lifetime honorary memberships in MADSEC.
Origin of the MADSEC Logo
Sometime during the fall of 1978, several members of the MADSEC Executive Committee were discussing ways to become better known in the education community, more identifiable and more credible. Organizations such as the Principals' Association, the Superintendents' Association and the Maine Teachers' Association all had history; they were recognized by the Department of Education, the legislature and the news media. We were a young organization then, but developing a growing understanding that this field was going to be big. That sounds naive today, but it was only a year since the effective date of the P.L. 94-142 mandate, and we wanted to be known as the advocates for special education services.
Well, anyway, one of the things we discussed was the development of a logo. I said I would work on it and bring something to the Executive Committee during the winter. The message I hoped we could send was that our role was to support all children, but especially children with disabilities, in the educational arena ?thus, the director with a typical child and a child with a disability (most commonly symbolized by the wheelchair), and the Betty lamp to reflect the education profession.
I am no designer nor artist, so I took the idea to a friend, Jim Comeau who is a designer who worked at the vocational center in Augusta. He gave it form. I took that to the Executive Committee, and we gave it life. The original logo was changed several years later with a background of one large flame. I have to confess, I was struck by that transformation because we kind of lost the symbol of education and engulfed the director in fire! In some ways that makes perfect sense, of course, but it did move us from one of our original intents.
Incidentally, we discussed at some length the matter of having the child with the disability shown in the wheelchair. Our final hope was that people would accept the image that our commitment to children with disabilities would be the light of our message and not be dimmed by a perception of political incorrectness.
--written by Wayne Dorr, one of the original founders of MADSEC
Origin of the MADSEC Logo
Sometime during the fall of 1978, several members of the MADSEC Executive Committee were discussing ways to become better known in the education community, more identifiable and more credible. Organizations such as the Principals' Association, the Superintendents' Association and the Maine Teachers' Association all had history; they were recognized by the Department of Education, the legislature and the news media. We were a young organization then, but developing a growing understanding that this field was going to be big. That sounds naive today, but it was only a year since the effective date of the P.L. 94-142 mandate, and we wanted to be known as the advocates for special education services.
Well, anyway, one of the things we discussed was the development of a logo. I said I would work on it and bring something to the Executive Committee during the winter. The message I hoped we could send was that our role was to support all children, but especially children with disabilities, in the educational arena ?thus, the director with a typical child and a child with a disability (most commonly symbolized by the wheelchair), and the Betty lamp to reflect the education profession.
I am no designer nor artist, so I took the idea to a friend, Jim Comeau who is a designer who worked at the vocational center in Augusta. He gave it form. I took that to the Executive Committee, and we gave it life. The original logo was changed several years later with a background of one large flame. I have to confess, I was struck by that transformation because we kind of lost the symbol of education and engulfed the director in fire! In some ways that makes perfect sense, of course, but it did move us from one of our original intents.
Incidentally, we discussed at some length the matter of having the child with the disability shown in the wheelchair. Our final hope was that people would accept the image that our commitment to children with disabilities would be the light of our message and not be dimmed by a perception of political incorrectness.
--written by Wayne Dorr, one of the original founders of MADSEC