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WNY Service Coordination Institute
CASE: Center for Autism Support and Education
Home > Special Insights Archive > February - March 2003 > Our Commitment
(February/March 2003)
The staff and Board of Directors of the Parent Network of WNY unanimously decided last spring to dedicate our library and information center in memory of Dena B. Goldstein, the beloved daughter of Bruce and Betsy Goldstein. Bruce is a respected advocacy attorney who has built a career in special education law; Betsy is a teacher at Buffalo's Campus West School. Both of them have been passionate voices since their daughters, Dena and Lisa -- both born deaf -- were very young.
Thanks to a generous gift in their daughter's memory, the Goldsteins have helped get our program up and running. With this, the resource initiative's formal dedication, held on Sept. 26, 2002, featured the placing of a commemorative plaque, symbolizing the start of a unique community project. The plaque reads:
where she served for three years as a class officer and later attended
American University and Buffalo State College. Born profoundly deaf,
Dena learned to lip read and speak. Dena never let her deafness become
an obstacle. She lived life with passion and was the first hearing-
impaired student to complete the Outward Bound Program.
Dena was known for her charisma, smile, loyalty as a friend, and her
athletic ability. Diagnosed with mental illness in her early 20s, Dena
remained independent and active, continuing to demonstrate the same
strength of character and courage that defined her personality.
Dena died tragically at the age of 25 in a care accident on Feb. 16, 2002.
Her indomitable spirit lives on through the Dena B. Goldstein
Memorial Parent Information Initiative, and a scholarship created in
her memory by the Speech & Hearing Association of WNY.
Since the dedication, our commitment has been to provide parents of children with special needs a state-of-the-art library and resource service. We are committed to ensuring that, by turning to the Parent Network of WNY, parents can find the answers they seek, the information they desire, and the comfort they need.
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