Acceptance Speech for Understanding Sam

We extend our deepest gratitude for being recognized with such a prestigious award. We are so pleased that Sam has made an impact for increased awareness of Aspergers. The children we work with have tremendous strengths. We wanted to highlight the positives alongside the daily difficulties. Most of all, we wanted to improve awareness/understanding of differences with increased empathy amongst classmates.

Clarabelle is a resident artist for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the founder of the London Puppet Theatre, and winner of many international awards, including the Perry Cumberland Excellence in Puppetry Award and the Educator of the Year Award for Children with Special Needs. She lives in Meadville, Pennsylvania with her son, Zee.

Liezl Venter has worked in various clinical settings in the United States and abroad, specializing in children diagnosed with autispectrum disorders. She is a certified member of the American Hearing Association and Speech Language Pathology Australia. Liezl and her husband, Alistair, live by the seaside.

Clarabelle van Niekerk