How Did You Get Here?

Thomas Hehir, EdD, is the Silvana and Christopher Pascucci Professor of Practice in Learning Differences at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. As director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs from 1993 to 1999, Hehir was responsible for federal leadership in implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and played a leading role in developing the Clinton administration's proposal for the 1997 reauthorization of IDEA. In 1990, Hehir was associate superintendent for the Chicago Public Schools, where he implemented major changes in the special education service delivery system, enabling Chicago to reach significantly higher levels of compliance with IDEA and resulting in the eventual removal of oversight by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. Hehir served in a variety of positions in the Boston Public Schools from 1978 to 1987, including that of director of special education from 1983 to 1987. An advocate for children with disabilities in the education system, he has written extensively on special education. His previous books include Effective Inclusive Schools: Designing Successful Schoolwide Programs (Jossey-Bass), New Directions in Special Education: Eliminating Ableism in Policy and Practice (Harvard Education Press), and Special Education at the Century's End: Evolution of Theory and Practice Since 1970 (Harvard Education Press).

How Did You Get Here? chronicles the educational experiences of sixteen students with disabilities and their paths to personal and academic success at Harvard University. The book explores common themes and the crucial roles played by parents, teachers, and others. Above all, it provides a clear and candid account of the challenges and biases facing young disabled students, as well as the opportunities they found and created on the way to academic and personal success.