Boston, MA, February 9, 2015 – The Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation Corp., a nonprofit, tax-exempt entity established by attorneys from the law firm of Brown Rudnick LLP, awarded a Community Grant to the Bridges Public Charter School (PCS) in Washington, D.C. to support teacher training of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). PECS is a unique augmentative/alternative communication intervention package for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and related developmental disabilities.
Bridges PCS serves students with a wide range of disabilities that affect their ability to communicate. The school creates communication systems for these students in order to improve their abilities to learn, to socialize, and to communicate with their families, teachers and the community.
According to Ursula Winters and Sarah Tichenor, grant applicants and speech-language pathologists at Bridges PCS, “Many of our students are subject to an Individual Education Plan which mandates use of PECS. Our speech-language pathologists work with students on an individual and group basis to improve their communication skills. It is important that the speech-language pathologists supporting these children receive intensive PECS training in order to comply with the education plan and effectively teach and support the children.”
“We are pleased to support Bridges PCS,” said Al Wallis, Executive Director of the Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation Corp. “By helping the school’s speech-language pathologists attend PECS training, they will be better equipped to effectively address the needs of the Bridges student population immediately and in the future.”
Created to support front-line educators who often do not have a voice in funding decisions, the Community Grants subsidize small, concrete projects, which will improve inner-city education within Boston, Hartford, London, Orange County, Providence, New York, or Washington DC within the coming year. The Foundation will generally consider grant applications monthly and award grants in an amount totaling not more than $2000 in any one month. The grant applications and an explanation of the program can be found here.
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Brown Rudnick, an international law firm with offices in the United States and Europe, represents clients from around the world in high-stakes litigation, international arbitration and complex business transactions. Clients include public and private corporations, multinational Fortune 100 businesses and start-up enterprises. The Firm also represents investors, as well as official and ad hoc creditors’ committees in today’s largest corporate restructurings, both domestically and abroad. Founded more than 60 years ago, Brown Rudnick has over 230 lawyers providing advice and services across key areas of the law. Beyond the United States, the Firm regularly serves clients in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. With its Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest, the Firm has created an innovative model combining its pro bono, charitable giving and community volunteer efforts.
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