over 80 educational videos; authored over 20 publications; and is a consultant to schools, agencies, and parent organizations in three
states. Tom designed and maintains 10 human services resources Internet sites and websites devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.;
Nelson Mandela; The Holocaust; Myths and Facts About Supported Inclusive Education; the Purdue University Calumet School of
Education Diversity Committee, and the Hammond Inclusive Teaching Project.
Committed to family involvement, early intervention, supported inclusive education, proactive planning for transition to adulthood,
diversity, multicultural education, and the civil rights of all people, he firmly believes that "our lives begin to end on the day we become
silent about things that matter" (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.).
Tom and his wife Elizabeth have three sons and a daughter, ranging in age from 8 to 28.
states. Tom designed and maintains 10 human services resources Internet sites and websites devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.;
Nelson Mandela; The Holocaust; Myths and Facts About Supported Inclusive Education; the Purdue University Calumet School of
Education Diversity Committee, and the Hammond Inclusive Teaching Project.
Committed to family involvement, early intervention, supported inclusive education, proactive planning for transition to adulthood,
diversity, multicultural education, and the civil rights of all people, he firmly believes that "our lives begin to end on the day we become
silent about things that matter" (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.).
Tom and his wife Elizabeth have three sons and a daughter, ranging in age from 8 to 28.
| Tom Mihail, Ph.D. Diversity and Special Education | Department of Teacher Preparation |
Dr. Tom Mihail is a professor at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Indiana.
His 43-year career includes 10 years as a teacher, seven years as the Executive
Director and Family Counselor of an early childhood special education program, and
26 years as a professor. Recently retired as the Chair of Graduate Special Education,
a position he held for 24 years, Tom now teaches for the Department of Teacher
Preparation.
He received the 1999 Hammond, Indiana Mayor's Commission on Disabilities Award;
the 1997 Purdue University Calumet Outstanding Teacher Award; and the 1993
Illinois Department of Human Services Inservice Leadership Award for Team
Development and Peer Training.
Tom earned his Ph.D. in Special Education from Saint Louis University, M.S. in Special
Education from Indiana University at South Bend, and B.S. in Education from
Indiana University in Bloomington.
An advocate for people with special needs, their families, and service providers, he
has made over 300 local, state, national, and international presentations; produced
His 43-year career includes 10 years as a teacher, seven years as the Executive
Director and Family Counselor of an early childhood special education program, and
26 years as a professor. Recently retired as the Chair of Graduate Special Education,
a position he held for 24 years, Tom now teaches for the Department of Teacher
Preparation.
He received the 1999 Hammond, Indiana Mayor's Commission on Disabilities Award;
the 1997 Purdue University Calumet Outstanding Teacher Award; and the 1993
Illinois Department of Human Services Inservice Leadership Award for Team
Development and Peer Training.
Tom earned his Ph.D. in Special Education from Saint Louis University, M.S. in Special
Education from Indiana University at South Bend, and B.S. in Education from
Indiana University in Bloomington.
An advocate for people with special needs, their families, and service providers, he
has made over 300 local, state, national, and international presentations; produced
| PHOTO BY ELIZABETH MIHAIL (2005) |
| Thank you. You are visitor |
| Links to Human Services Resources |
| Aging |
| AIDS |
| Children |
| Civil Rights |
| Disabilities |
| Families |
| Gifted |
| GLBT |
| Peace |
| Women |
| Myths develop because they sound intuitively correct and support stereotypical thinking. The facts are clearly supported by educational research evidence. |
| "In Christina, we see all of our children. So curious, so trusting, so energetic, so full of magic, so deserving of our love, and so deserving of our good example." President Barack Obama honors Christina Taylor Green January 10, 2011 |
| SCHOOL OF EDUCATION |
| "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." Anne Frank |
. Peace.
| THE PROMISE |
What is the "promise" that special education was to keep?
It was to demonstrate to all people, and especially to those of us most intimately involved, that each person can contribute to the larger
society; that all people are equally valuable; that a human being is entitled to developmental opportunities; and that development is
plastic.
We have been faithful; we have supported humanistic precepts and philosophies, and we believed that there is
"enrichment through difference." Thus, the promise of special education has always been, and remains today,
not a special curriculum, or special methods, or even special teachers. The gifts that this movement was to
endow us with were the gifts of optimism and belief in the human ethos, charity and love for our brothers, and
the conviction that our work is not to judge who can or cannot change, but rather to fulfill the prophecy that all
people can change; each person can learn.
For the promise to be kept, for these things to occur beyond wish or fantasy, one must begin with oneself. Before I ask the world to
change, I must change. I am the beginning step.
It was to demonstrate to all people, and especially to those of us most intimately involved, that each person can contribute to the larger
society; that all people are equally valuable; that a human being is entitled to developmental opportunities; and that development is
plastic.
We have been faithful; we have supported humanistic precepts and philosophies, and we believed that there is
"enrichment through difference." Thus, the promise of special education has always been, and remains today,
not a special curriculum, or special methods, or even special teachers. The gifts that this movement was to
endow us with were the gifts of optimism and belief in the human ethos, charity and love for our brothers, and
the conviction that our work is not to judge who can or cannot change, but rather to fulfill the prophecy that all
people can change; each person can learn.
For the promise to be kept, for these things to occur beyond wish or fantasy, one must begin with oneself. Before I ask the world to
change, I must change. I am the beginning step.
| Burton Blatt (1981) |
| Introduction to Special Education A Civil Rights Movement |
| Teaching Students with Diverse Learning Needs Creating Learning Communities |
| Purdue University Calumet Mondays and Wednesdays Summer, 1:00 - 3:50 PM |
| Purdue University Calumet Monday thru Thursday Maymester, 8:00 AM - 12:50 PM |
| Teaching Students with Diverse Learning Needs Creating Learning Communities |
| Purdue University Calumet Fall and Spring Semesters |
