2012 Annual Highlights
2011 Annual Highlights
2010 Annual Highlights
2009 Annual Highlights
2008 Annual Highlights
2007 Annual Highlights
2006 Annual Highlights
2005 Annual Highlights
2004 Annual Highlights
Our Top Ten Advocacy Moments for 2012
MAC created a list of Top Ten Advocacy Moments for 2012, counting down the Top 10 year in review. We did so with the understanding that the list should not be seen as hierarchical in importance, that each reader may have personal favorites that are more important to them, and that they all combine to form a mosaic of MAC's advocacy on behalf of children.
#10 - J.D. Salinger and Craft Cocktails
The email came out of the blue. Usually, I ignore long emails
from strangers, especially when they promise you money. But there was something about this one....I looked for
the catch, I Googled the guy, I kept reading... Read more
#9 - The Urgency of Now - Children Can't Wait
Last March, Governor Patrick signed a bill into law that will strengthen school districts'
capacity to provide transition services to youth with disabilities. The law is a modest one;
it didn't get a lot of fanfare in the media, but by enabling educators to become more
knowledgeable about transition planning and services, it can make a world of difference for
young people on their way to life after high school. Read more
#8 - An extraordinary commitment to "the public good"
On October 24th, MAC was proud to witness a ceremony where our pro bono partner, the DLA Piper law firm, received one of the John Adams Pro Bono Publico Awards from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's
Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services for its partnership with MAC. Read more
#7 - The Guardians
It can happen at anytime - a threat announces itself with an urgency that causes advocates to jump into
action. For embedded in the DNA of an advocate is a sacred pledge, to "defend and protect" the legal rights
for our constituency that have been painstakingly won over the years. Read more
#6 - Boston in the Spotlight, MAC in the News
It remains a most unfortunate legacy, nearly 40 years later, in spite of Boston being reinvented many times
over, in spite of numerous accolades the city has garnered, two word ‐ Boston and busing ‐ still shorthand
for Northern racism, still reverberate beyond our borders. Read more
#5 - "A-ha"
There was not just one "a‐ha" moment in 2012 related to MAC's Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI);
they occurred with stunning regularity throughout the year. The feeling could happen while attending a TLPI
training or while reading "the purple book,"Helping Traumatized Children Learn (HTCL). Read more
#4 - The Heart of MAC
We were proud and humbled to honor two parents at our annual event this year, Beverly and Miriam
Schwartz, for their extraordinary commitment to all children in Somerville by founding the Somerville Special
Education Advocacy Project (SSEAP) which MAC has operated since 2002. Parents have been at the heart of MAC's advocacy from the start. Read more
#3 - The Next Generation
On September 19, Brian Heffernan began a one-year stint at MAC, our first Youth Leader Fellow. This was
an important milestone in MAC's increased commitment to advocate with young people instead of just for
them. Read more
#2 - "I Am Chapter 766"
We were determined that both celebrations - on July 17 and October 11 ‐ were not to turn into nostalgic excursions down memory lane. The stakes were still too high; the revolution in education promised by the first
special education law in the nation 40 years ago had achieved much, but much was left unfulfilled. Read more
#1 - Finally
There were two moments of note this year in the passage of the new law, Chapter 222: An Act Relative to
Students' Access to Educational Services and Exclusion from School ‐ July 31 and September 13. But that is getting ahead of ourselves. Let's start at the beginning. Read more
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