Inside Belchertown State School and How It Changed One Educator's Life

Howard Shane, Ph.D. — Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Autism Language Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. A pioneer in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), Dr. Shane has designed numerous computer applications for people with disabilities, holds two U.S. patents, and has been recognized by national organizations for lifetime contributions to clinical practice and technology innovation. He is the author of Unsilenced: A Teacher’s Year of Battles, Breakthroughs, and Life‑Changing Lessons at Belchertown State School.

Content Warning: In today’s episode, we will discuss depictions of the living conditions of institutions for people with disabilities in the 1960s and certain attitudes about people with disabilities that worked there.

Dr. Howard Shane reflects on his first teaching job at Belchertown State School in 1969, how witnessing institutional life transformed his career, and the early DIY innovations that helped shape modern AAC. He traces a throughline from interest‑driven instruction to today’s consumer‑grade tech (wearables, AR, and AI) that can quietly support communication and social‑emotional needs—while arguing for a language and mindset shift that keeps students learning with their peers as much as possible, with targeted instruction layered in.

Complete show notes and transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/howard-shane-how-teaching-at-belchertown-state-school-changed-my-life/