Exceptional Children's Assistance Center

ECAC Celebrates with Founders

In 1980, the NC Protection and Advocacy agency, then called 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 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 started out by serving 9 counties.

Pictured above from left to right:  Frank Graziadei, Connie Hawkins, Dr. Richard White