CUDA: Leslie Sinclair, the schools director, was overcome by emotion as she addressed an audience of people whose lives have been touched by Autism. Afterward she explained why the building meant so much to her.
SINCLAIR: I’ve been personally teaching children with autism for 28 years and I’ve never seen a school that’s been designed specifically for them. Just that alone makes it such a unique place. So it’s very emotional – because this is so much more than a school. It’s so much more.
CUDA: The new building was created with the unique needs of autistic children in mind. Things like corners with rounded edges, and doors that swing both ways for safety. The lights are quiet and muted colors combined with a lack of patterns on walls and floors minimize distractions that can be disruptive to autistic learners. The new school is also larger, and will be able to accommodate more students – something Cleveland Clinic President and CEO Toby Cosgrove hopes will allow the hospital to better serve families with autistic kids.
COSGROVE: With one in a hundred and fifty live births being children who have autism it creates an enormous need and everything we can do to help these children and help them return to society is a tremendous benefit to the community.
CUDA: A benefit Sinclair says, that comes not from the building itself but from the work they will be able to do inside it. Gretchen Cuda, 90.3