Tierney honored for assistance to students with autism

PEABODY – U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney was honored Wednesday for his work to provide access to quality higher education for students with intellectual disabilities.The congressman, a Salem Democrat and member of the Education and Labor Committee, was named Legislator of the Year by the College Consortium on Autism and Intellectual Disabilities.”Every student deserves access to a quality higher education, said Tierney. “As the number of students with autism and intellectual disabilities continues to rise, there is a real need to create and expand programs which provide these students with tools and training to succeed in the workforce in ways that their families may not have previously imagined.”Jerry McCarthy, executive director of Northeast ARC, said the congressman has worked hard to secure programs and resources for young adults with disabilities. “This recognition is well deserved,” he said.According to McCarthy, the congressman successfully worked to include a provision in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, which provides competitive grants to institutions of higher education to create or expand high quality transition programs for students with cognitive disabilities. The federal act authorizes such programs for the next five years and received $11 million in funding for fiscal 2010.Wayne Burton, president of North Shore Community College, explained that the College Consortium on Autism and Intellectual Disabilities is a national organization of college presidents. “My college is experiencing a tsunami of students with disabilities and does not currently have the programs which we would need to accommodate them. Provisions such as the one spearheaded by Congressman Tierney will go a long way toward providing needed support to our students and those around the country,” said Burton, who presented the award.Tierney, an active member of the Congressional Autism Caucus, is the first recipient of the Legislator of the Year award. Along with his wife Patrice, he maintains an active involvement with the Northeast ARC and its Autism Support Center.