In 1980, the North Carolina Protection and Advocacy agency, the Governor’s Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities received a federal grant to train 60 families about the new federal and state special education laws. During that training, two parents of students with disabilities, Connie Hawkins and Frank Graziadei, recognized the power of and need for parent training and became active volunteer trainers in the community. This volunteer work also included the Exceptional Children’s Advisory Council which served as the parent advisory board for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

By the 1983, the volunteers were answering telephone calls and conducting workshops for families and, to support their efforts, Dr. Richard White from the Special Education Department of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte wrote their first grant to the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. ECAC became a private nonprofit parent organization with Frank Graziadei as chairman of the Board and Connie Hawkins as Director. The new parent center served 9 counties and had a total budget of $60,000.

Since that time ECAC has moved from the first office in a walk-in attic space in the Hawkins’ house, to an unheated classroom in an old school building, to a small office over a flower shop, and to an 1,800 square foot “historical” building. Today, ECAC has four offices geographically dispersed throughout out the state and over 40 staff members.

Since our beginnings as a volunteer organization, ECAC has been a parent directed and staffed organization. The majority of both the Board of Directors and employees are parents of individuals with disabilities. Connie Hawkins remains with the organization as Executive Director. Frank Graziadei and Richard White both continue to support ECAC as Board Members Emeritus and provide mentoring and direction to new Board members.

Today, as one of the oldest federally funded parent training and information centers in the country, ECAC has a network of collaborative partners at the national, state and local levels. The organization offers parent training, information and support to North Carolina families of children with disabilities and continues to believe in the importance of parent training and in the power of parents.