Free speech group honors Darien mother with citizenship award

Robert Bertsche, executive committee member of the New England First Amendment Coalition, presenting Darien mother Kit Savage with the Antonia Orfield Citizenship Award for her efforts to help children with disabilities.

Kit Savage was one of the first parents to recognize problems in Dariens special education program. And now, her efforts to improve transparency and access to education have been recognized, as the New England First Amendment Coalition recently honored her with the inaugural Antonia Orfield Citizenship Award.

I am the parent of two children with disabilities, Savage told a room full of hundreds of journalists, lawyers and free speech advocates in Boston on Friday, Feb. 7. I am honored to sit with the close family and friends of Dr. Orfield and hear how she helped children overcome their vision issues to learn to read.

The award is named after Dr. Antonia Orfield, a mother and optometrist who worked to improve the schools in Chicago. Orfield used non-surgical vision therapy methods to help children with vision-related learning disabilities. She published her findings in her 2007 book, Eyes for Learning.

Presenting the award to Savage was Robert Bertsche, a First Amendment lawyer and member of the coalitions executive committee.

It is very fitting that Kit Savage receives this award in the first year since it has been renamed in memory of the late Dr. Antonia Orfield, Bertsche said. Like Kit Savage, her advocacy had a tie to children and learning differences.

Rosanna Cavanagh, executive director of the first amendment coalition, said her group recognizes that citizens play a crucial role in guaranteeing government accountability.

Savage was one of the original 25 parents to sign the complaint with the state Department of Education, alleging systemic violations to federal special education law. Those allegations were confirmed in a two-part state investigation, and further detailed in an independent probe.

In the early years, most of us are jumping hurdle after hurdle to identify and treat whatever challenges we can that are impacting our child, Savage said. Generally speaking we take on this all-consuming job quietly and in the privacy of our homes.

Top 10 of 2013: No. 1 Special education

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Free speech group honors Darien mother with citizenship award