Faculty Profile: Jean Haigh
In her years of work as a special education administrator and college professor, she has seen major changes in the field of special education. Jean Haigh worked at the Brandon Training School during the era of deinstitutionalization. She later directed special educational services for the Rutland Central and Lamoille South Supervisory Unions before joining Johnson State in 2002.
"Since 1990, I've seen a lot more inclusion," she says. But in classroom discussions with her graduate and undergraduate students, "we spend a lot of time studying the concepts of differentiated instruction and universal design for learning to meet the needs of each individual child and not just those in special education." Through her work on the governor's Special Education Advisory Council and other srate committees, she stays current with special education law and ensures college curricula reflect any changes. Her real-world experience benefits students. "You have to give them stories about real people," she says.
A lifelong Vermonter and environmentalist, Jean is active in the Green Mountain Club and Northwoods Stewardship Center. She hikes, race-walks, climbs mountains here and abroad, and skis. She has two grown daughters.
