Philadelphia SpArc, an organization that helps prepare people with autism for employment, held its fifth annual reception to honor area businesses who are leaders in autism employment. Representatives from regional colleges with programs supporting students with autism also attended, including three staff members from CDS’s Spectrum Scholars.
The Delaware Education Department released statistics showing Delaware’s overall graduation rate for the 2017–2018 school year was the highest in the state’s history, while the dropout rate decreased from the previous year’s. Graduation rates for students with disabilities also rose.
Sen. Nicole Poore introduced a bill that would create a committee to consider how to break up the Department of Health and Social Services, the largest state agency, into two separate departments, one focused on policy and the other on service provision. Gov. Carney said through a spokesperson that he understood Sen. Poore’s concern but offered no opinion on the bill itself.
The thirty-third annual statewide law enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Delaware was held last week to kick off the Summer Games. Involving more than 500 law enforcement officers, the run spanned 160 miles from Rehoboth Beach to Newark. In its three-decade history, the run has raised nearly $8 million total for Special Olympics Delaware.
At the University of Delaware’s athletic complex on Friday and Saturday, Special Olympics Delaware (SODE) athletes gathered to compete in six sports: aquatics, bocce, powerlifting, softball, tennis and track and field. The occasion marked the 49th annual SODE Summer Games. The games brought together nearly 650 athletes from across Delaware to compete, with the support of more than 170 coaches, 100 peers without disabilities who participate in the sports alongside the athletes and 1,000 volunteers.
