Partners for Today. Partners for Tomorrow

This year, ASAH celebrates our 50th anniversary. What began in 1974 as a bold idea on the part of 13 founding schools has expanded tenfold. Today, more than 130 members strong, ASAH schools partner with local districts across the state to serve students with complex needs. A little “napkin math” suggests our schools have helped an estimated one million students since ASAH was founded. That is one million lives – changed for the better!

While the political and fiscal landscape have shifted, ASAH has consistently worked to support our own member schools and the public schools they serve. We have seen thirteen New Jersey Governors and have watched funding for special education ebb and flow through seven national recessions. Through it all, ASAH has collaborated with other stakeholders to ensure issues affecting the education of students with complex needs remained in the hearts and minds of decision-makers. We will continue to do so.

As we celebrate this Golden Anniversary, watch for a name change to better reflect who we are, what we do, and our role as partners in public education. Our new name, and a new look, will reflect the scope and breadth of our work and our vital role as partners in special education.

This anniversary belongs to all of us: each public school that has turned to one of our member schools for help, each parent who has trusted our schools with their child, each student who evolved and benefited from the individualized education they received, each lawmaker who saw the value in the students we serve. These partnerships are built on a strong foundation of trust.

As I look to the next 50 years, I am confident we will continue to strengthen our relationships with our members, our colleagues, our state leaders, and families to ensure a new generation of students achieve their potential – they deserve nothing less.

John J. Mulholland, Jr., Esq.
Executive Director