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    PITTSBURGH, PA, April 29, 2010 /Stanford Who's Who/ -- Stanford Who's Who welcomes Carolyn Komich Hare to the ranks of leading professionals as a result of her extraordinary effort in the Education Industry. As Executive Director of AHEADD Inc. she has consistently displayed the passion, vision and dedication necessary to be among the best.

AHEADD which stands for Achieving in Higher Education with Autism/Developmental Disabilities, is a private, community organization that provides support for students in higher education. They cater to students with learning disabilities, High-Functioning Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder.

AHEADD is now offering remote support- allowing students across the country, attending ANY college or university, to access the AHEADD Model (SM) of support. Enrollment for this program requires special consideration, but begins by completing AHEADD's application found here

The organization was originally developed in cooperation with Equal Opportunity Services of Carnegie Mellon University. AHEADD is specifically designed to address students' inherent social, communication and organizational issues, and helps students develop individualized strategies to manage their college careers independently. Unlike many other programs for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in higher education, the AHEADD Model can be applied within any campus environment and tailored to meet the unique needs of each student.

AHEADD continues to set the standard of providing effective support for students with High Functioning Autism, Asperger's, NVLD, ADD, LD and Dyslexia. It is one of the finest examples of responsible social entrepreneurship in our country- in that AHEADD is providing access for previously unsupported young adults to access and succeed in higher education, while strictly adhering to responsible business practices.

They strive to be active participants in the communities where they serve students. Recently, AHEADD sponsored the 2nd Annual National Adult Autism Awareness Day in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The day's events included keynote speakers Brenda and Moshe Weitzberg, founders and directors of Aspiritech, a Chicago-based, software testing company that leverages the talents of persons with autism spectrum disorders, a panel presentation of local employers including Highmark, a professional in-service by Boston-based Barbara Bissonnette, as well as mock interview workshops for adults with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

According to Carolyn Komich Hare, AHEADD.org's director and founder, "The goal of Adult Autism Awareness Day is to create awareness of our adult autism community and improve related social and employment outcomes."

Carolyn Komich Hare founded AHEADD in 2002, when she piloted the program in response to a parent's inquiry regarding the availability of specialized support for her daughter, Val, a student with Asperger's Syndrome who would be returning to Carnegie Mellon University following a year's leave.

Val's parents were looking for an environment in which she could live with supervision and
encouragement to attend her classes, go grocery shopping, do her laundry and attend to
other activities of daily living.

While supported living environments existed in the form of group homes, they were
considered an unsuitable option for an individual attending a highly-competitive university
and looking toward a life of independence.

As circumstances would have it, the option for Val to rent a room in the Hare's home became a reality and provided this student with the supervision and support that this family was seeking. The experience also served as an opportunity for Carolyn to explore whether individualized support similar to resource programs utilized in many public school systems could help a struggling student with Asperger's Syndrome achieve success in college.

Carolyn and Val had daily discussions regarding classroom attendance, homework assignments, social skills, keeping her living space tidy and living activities such as healthy eating and hygiene.

Two years later, Val became a graduate of Carnegie Mellon with a self-defined major in
Electronic Media and Animation. These two years proved to be incredibly challenging, but
equally rewarding, as Val ultimately achieved her degree.

Carolyn attributes her success to her entire family's enthusiasm and willingness to incorporate AHEADD as part of their lifestyle. Being that her background is in special education, not business, she's had to learn quite a bit about how to create a support system that is reliable across sites and fiscally sound.

During her educational career, Carolyn earned a Master of Science Degree from Longwood University. In the time away from her busy schedule, she greatly enjoys the outdoors.

To view more information on Carolyn Komich Hare click here

About Stanford Who's Who
Stanford Who's Who empowers executives, professionals and entrepreneurs around the world. Our mission is to recognize successful individuals in multiple industries by providing a forum for networking, consulting, exposure and credibility to broadening one's future success. Realizing the power of forming business and professional relationships, we have created numerous resources that our members use for a multitude of reasons. With access to thousands of professional biographies of individuals in over 100 different industries, our members utilize our database to recruit others, to announce their career accomplishments, and for lasting, valuable relationships that extend beyond our membership program.

This press release was prepared and written by Michael Fairlie.

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Press Release Keywords:

• stanford who’s who, carolyn komich hare, aheadd inc., special education, education, autism, developmental disabilities, asperger’s syndrome, college support, add, nvld, dyslexia, non-verbal learning disorder, attention deficit disorder, pittsburgh, pennsylvania

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