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By
J.D. Williams
When parents receive the medical diagnosis of
a serious challenge facing a child, they can feel lost in
a sea of uncertainty.
When Carmen Boyden Pingree received the diagnosis of her
son's autism in 1979, she viewed it as a personal challenge
to make a difference.
Scanning available support and educational services for
autistic children in Utah, Pingree concluded that the state
and school districts were not doing enough to support these
children of very special needs. She viewed the state legislature
as the natural site for waging a campaign to elevate public
understanding of autism, and to guarantee funding for autistic
children.
Carmen Pingree enrolled as a graduate student in special
education at the University of Utah. She also took on an internship
for the 1980 session of the state legislature through the
Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University. Drawing
on her graduate studies and her access as an intern, Pingree
proved to be an effective, convincing lobbyist for autistic
services in the halls of state government. She emerged with
the first budgeted "line item" appropriation for state services
for autistic children.
Pingree then turned her attention toward the Salt Lake City
School District. She and others convinced the District's Board
of Education to allow the Douglas School on 13th East in Salt
Lake City to house a pre-school program for autistic children.
As years passed, Carmen and her husband John would serve
as advocates for better services for autistic children, and
as fundraisers for private initiatives. Far from alone in
the effort, they were joined by hundreds of families and service
providers in working for better opportunities for special
needs children in Utah.
Twenty-one years after the diagnosis of her son, Carmen
Boyden Pingree has seen an extraordinary evolution of Utah's
ability to care for children with autism. She has been on
the front line of the battle for change, and has made a difference
with her special brand of dedication.
Perhaps it is only fitting that a new, state-of-the-art
school for children with autism in Salt Lake City will offer
the fullest tribute to her service when the dedication plaque
is revealed, announcing: The Carmen Boyden Pingree School
for Children with Autism.
About J.D. Williams
VoteUtah turned to retired University of Utah political science
professor J.D. Williams to help us understand how one person
can take a stand, charge to action, and even change the system.
Williams, a deeply committed teacher with a lifelong passion
for the U.S. Constitution, touched thousands of lives during
nearly four decades at the University. His students would
graduate to positions of civic and political leadership throughout
the state and the nation. He was one of the founding figures
of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the "U", and his
passionate love of country would inspire students of all political
stripes. While never personally successful in an election,
Williams has had a profound impact on government by touching
young lives. He has made a difference through his dedication.
In a series of short essays throughout this year's political
season, J.D. Williams will remind us of special men and women
who have made a difference. Some of the actions were so profound
that they shaped our nation. Others take the form of personal
commitments that can lead to a fuller sense of self.
Through each story we will find the reminder that one person
can make a difference.
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