11 Millennium - Twenty-second Edition ACADEMIA, EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES Ms. Irvine’s commitment was evident when she became program specialist for Elementary LIFE Skills in Katy, Texas, in 2019. She led teacher training, worked with educators in their classrooms to ensure adherence to LIFE Skills expectations, and provided mentoring for teachers in need, including home training for parents. Her current focus areas include supporting and empowering parents at home and helping teachers create sensory-safe classrooms. After retiring in June 2025, she joined LIGHTHOUSE Learning and Resource (LLR) as an educational consultant, developing presentations and materials to support both parents at home and teachers in the classroom. Ms. Irvine intends to document her 40 years in education through curriculum development for teachers working with students with special needs, as well as by writing a book to encourage educators. She hopes to empower parents who have children with special needs. Traveling abroad is another goal to reconnect with past relationships in Moldova and to investigate new opportunities to work with communities and students with special needs. Ms. Irvine found that tools effective for students with autism also benefited those with intellectual disabilities. She implemented research-based strategies, including the TEACCH philosophy from the University of North Carolina and ABA techniques acquired from Teachers College at Columbia University, as well as the Margaret Chapman School for Exceptional Children. She acquired effective tools to recognize her students' sensory needs. Individualized key elements, such as reinforcement, communication techniques, visual structure, routines and consistent expectations, became central to her teaching. Later, Ms. Irvine discovered a new passion: training teachers to better serve students with special needs. This began with an international training request from Bob Hartman International Ministries, leading her to Budapest, Hungary, in 2013. The team presented specialized strategies and sensory tools to Budapest’s educational department and observed specialized classrooms. The next year, she trained general education teachers in Moldova, traveling between towns to reach educators without transportation. The director of education in Chisinau, Moldova, requested assistance in training general education teachers to help them integrate students with special needs into mainstream classrooms. Over the course of three years and four visits, Ms. Irvine also visited students in their homes who were unable to attend school due to their disabilities. These extraordinary experiences strengthened her resolve to improve support systems for teachers, particularly those in general and special education, internationally and in the U.S.
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