KU News Release

KU professor wins national award for work with children who have disabilities

LAWRENCE — Wayne Sailor, associate director of the Beach Center on Disability and a professor of special education at the University of Kansas, has won a national award for his work to improve quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

The Arc of the United States presented Sailor with its 2007 Distinguished Research Award at its 56th annual convention Oct. 11-13 in Dallas. The Arc of the United States is the world’s largest community-based organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

The $1,000 prize recognizes an outstanding researcher whose work has had a significant impact on the prevention of or improvement of life with disabilities. Sailor is being honored for his research on how students with intellectual and developmental disabilities are educated and his contributions to research on systematic school restructuring and reform; inclusion for students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms; and positive behavior supports. His most recent project involves adapting his School-wide Applications Model to the Recovery School District in New Orleans. Under the model, teachers learn to differentiate instruction in order to reach children at all ability levels.

For several decades, Sailor also has researched methods of school and family community integration on behalf of children with disabilities. As an expert in using the combined strength of families and schools to further child development, Sailor has created, studied and improved methodologies to empower children with disabilities and their families and service providers.

Founded in 1988, the Beach Center on Disability is affiliated with KU’s Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Department of Special Education. The center was named in honor of Ross and Marianna Beach of Lawrence and Hays in recognition of the couple’s long-standing efforts on behalf of families who are affected by disability.

-30-

The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.