2011 Floyd G. Hudson Award Recipient

Candy Myers

The Council for Learning Disabilities has awarded the distinguished 2011 Floyd G. Hudson Outstanding Service Award to Candy Myers. Each year, the award is given for outstanding performance and commitment by a professional who works in the field of learning disabilities in a role outside of the classroom.  Candy is also the 2011 recipient of the Colorado Council for Learning Disabilities Professional of the Year Award.
Candy is a Principal Consultant with the Exceptional Student Leadership Unit of the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). Before assuming her current position with CDE in 1999, she served a 35-district region of Wisconsin, providing leadership and professional development for both local and state initiatives. Her role with CDE is to provide guidance, technical assistance, and professional development for those Colorado educators/administrators responsible for the education of students with learning disabilities.
Candy’s commitment to her work is clearly seen in her personal statement:

“For over three decades, it has been my privilege and my passion to teach and to work on the behalf of students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). I believe that one of the most critical issues impacting achievement for students with learning disabilities, as well as all other students who struggle in school, is a pervasive, underlying belief that the poor achievement of many students is due to “unalterable” factors. When assumptions are made that a child is underachieving due to reasons beyond control, such as: disability, poverty, limited English proficiency, and cultural factors – expectations tend to be low, resulting in an “excuse-making” rather than “no excuses” approach to teaching and learning.”

Candy’s belief that a high level of academic achievement is possible for all students is seen in her tireless efforts to impact policy and instructional practices in Colorado. Dr. Debra LaQua, San Juan BOCES in southwest Colorado writes, “Most recently, she has provided amazing leadership for school districts and special educators as Colorado implemented its RtI-based eligibility process.” Faye Gibson, a fellow Principal Consultant at CDE, writes, “Candy’s knowledge of special education is unparalleled. She was the primary author of the statewide Guidelines for the Identification of Specific Learning Disabilities. Candy was also the first consultant at CDE to convene a task force to work on the RtI initiative. It was Candy’s seminal work in this field that enabled CDE to become a national leader on this topic.”

We want to congratulate Candy for her dedication and unequalled efforts through the years.