ICASE PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP
For more than 50 years, the Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education (ICASE) members have worked tirelessly on improving the lives of students with disabilities. The mission of ICASE is to serve, support and represent special education administrators in Indiana in order to provide high impact learning opportunities for all students. One goal of ICASE is to build capacity among its members and continue to develop future leaders in special education.
To do this, ICASE awards two $1,000.00 scholarships to individuals who are interested in becoming administrators in special education. In order to be eligible for this scholarship, the applicant must be nominated by a current special education director and enrolled in a special education licensing program.
Application period will open in November 2023.
An eligible recipient must be accepted or currently enrolled in a Director of Exceptional Needs licensing program in the state of Indiana to be eligible.
Join us in congratulating and celebrating the 2023 Presidential Scholarship Recipients
Emma Albert Emma Albert graduated with her undergraduate degree in elementary and special education from Indiana Wesleyan University. She began her special education career as an elementary resource teacher at Northwestern Elementary School in Kokomo. While at Northwestern, Emma piloted and implemented an inclusion program through co-teaching. She currently serves as a resource teacher at Sweetser Elementary in Oak Hill School District. She has advocated for and helped design sensory rooms for both school districts. She is passionate about developing inclusion programs that create opportunities for special education students to learn alongside their peers in the general education setting when appropriate. In addition to teaching, Emma has been a special needs consultant and play facilitator for the organization WonderSpace, whose mission is to improve the physical, social, educational, and mental health of children and families in Grant County. She has also developed curriculum for WonderSpace to aid kindergarten through 4th graders in exploring STEM standards through play. Emma is currently pursuing her master's degree in Special Education, with a Director of Exceptional Needs License through Ball State University. In her free time, she enjoys traveling to and exploring new places with her husband and daughter. |
Ashley Biddle
Ashley Biddle graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana in 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Hearing Science, along with a minor in psychology. She then furthered her academic studies by earning a Master of Science Degree in Speech Language Pathology at Nova Southeastern University. Ashley began her career as a Speech Language Pathologist at Prairie Heights Community Schools working with children of all ages, ranging from Pre-K to High School. From there, she pursued a career in the medical setting providing speech therapy services to adult and pediatric patients. In 2019, Ashley returned to the school system working full-time at Carlin Park Elementary, located in MSD of Steuben County Community Schools. At this school district, she currently supervises three Speech Language Pathology Assistants at three different elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. She also provides mentorship to a Clinical Fellow Speech Language Pathologist. Over the years, she has supervised several graduate students. Providing a strong collaborative model to increase the effectiveness of therapy services is a high priority for her. Ashley is an MTSS team member for the district. She works closely with the general education teachers, special education team, and administrative staff to meet student and school needs. Ashley is currently pursuing her Director of Exceptional Needs licensure at the University of Indianapolis. In addition to that, she spends her after-school hours working at Cameron Memorial Hospital providing speech therapy services to the pediatric and adult populations. She is also the secretary of the Carlin Park Booster Club. Ashley is happily married with two children. She loves spending time with her family, friends, and enjoying her summers at the lake. |