Date: Fri 14-Aug-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Sara-Appleyard-DC-Education

Full Text:

The DC Education Of Sara Appleyard

(with photo)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

When Sara Appleyard graduated from Newtown High School in 1992, she already

had a strong interest in helping others through public service. She was

intrigued with government and politics, and had seen first-hand the many

services available after a car-bicycle accident nearly claimed the life of her

brother, James, in 1987.

She has combined all of her interests in a job as the special assistant to

Judith E. Heumann, assistant secretary for special education and

rehabilitation services in the US Department of Education.

"I remember sitting in the interview knowing I wanted to be at the Department

of Education," Sara said. "It was a dream come true."

Sara left Newtown after high school graduation to earn a degree in political

science at the University of New Hampshire. She became involved in politics,

working in the last presidential primary for the Clinton-Gore camp, whose

state headquarters was in Manchester.

"I kept in touch with Nick Baldick, who ran the campaign there, and after I

graduated in June 1996, he asked me to go to Florida," she said. On August 1 I

became the deputy scheduler in the main office in Tallahassee. During the last

two weeks of the campaign for the November election, I was in Polk County

working with volunteers. It was a great experience."

But she knew she wanted to be in Washington, D.C.

"When I was a junior in college, I was an intern for the Education Workforce

Committee in the House of Representatives," she said. "I fell in love with the

city. After working on the campaign, I wanted to work for the administration.

Living in DC is being in the middle of it all. It's a great city, perfect,

ideal, not too big. You never run out of things to do."

After the election, Sara took several months off to decide what she was going

to do.

"My grandmother lives in Florida so I visited her. I came back to Newtown for

the holidays, then I went to Washington. I spent two weeks working with the

Inaugural Committee in Vice President Gore's office, the VIP office."

"It was a lot of fun, getting tickets out for the inaugural balls. It was like

one big reunion. I went to the Tennessee ball, the Florida ball, the New

Hampshire ball -- all on one weekend."

A few months later, she got the job with the Department of Education.

"I get to follow my boss around a lot," Sara said. "She has post-polio

syndrome. When she was in school, they labeled her as a fire hazard and put

her in a basement classroom. She had to fight for everything. When she got a

teaching certificate, they wouldn't let her teach. She successfully sued New

York City in a landmark case."

Judith E. Heumann is a well-respected advocate for the disabled, Sara said.

"She is an incredible speaker. She goes around the country, visiting

independent living centers and schools. When she is in Washington, I go out

with her as much as I can. She has two personal attendants, a secretary, and

me. I sit outside her office, review correspondence, handle invitations, set

up travel, read her e-mail which is the main form of correspondence with

colleagues.

"I'm always putting out fires. I never really know what I will be doing in

this job."

Sara already had seen first-hand the difficulties that persons face when they

are disabled. Her brother was nearly killed when his bicycle collided with a

car on Boggs Hill Road 11 years ago and he needed years of rehabilitative

services..

"I knew so much about this area by having lived through it," Sara said.

"Disabled persons deserve the services that are out there. I am always

fielding calls for persons asking, where do I start? Each state has services

but often they don't do enough to let people know how to access them."

The Department of Education is a busy office, she said.

"There are about 350 staff members plus the staff in the regional offices.

There are people who want to get rid of the department, people who feel

education should be addressed on the state level."

"Education is more than having an adequate number of pencils, or four walls

for a classroom," she said. "You have to show children you care about them,

spruce up schools, make classes smaller. That does a lot for their self

esteem. New York students going to school in a former bowling alley sends the

wrong message. It's a battle we will always be fighting."

But Sara says there are "a lot of people with their hearts in the right place

in DC."

"There is still some hope," she said. "I can't picture myself anywhere else."

Friends who want to correspond with Sara can reach her by e-mail at

sara_appleyard@ed.gov.