by Emily Lambert
When Claire Huckel entered the preschool program at Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania Bucks County Division, no one could have known the profound impact it would make on her life. Or that her teacher, Jeanne Hiack, would turn out to be her mentor and colleague, her friend for life and her greatest inspiration.
“I’ve always felt if I could touch the life of one child, the way she touched many, that I was doing something very valuable,” says Huckel. And, perhaps most importantly, no one could have known the model of hope Huckel would later become for Easter Seals children, such as herself.
The Beginning
Claire Huckel was born in 1971 with cerebral palsy. The prognosis was grim. Doctors recommended she be put in a home for children with disabilities. Possibly, they said, she could learn to feed herself.
Easter Seals had a different take on that prognosis — a much brighter one. As Melanie O’Brien, director of communications for Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania, explains: “It was her teacher, Mrs. Hiack, who was the first person to put hope within reach for Claire and her family. She was the foundation for Claire’s success.”
Claire entered the Easter Seals Bucks County program unable to walk. After receiving intensive educational and therapeutic services, she left on two feet, walking with the assistance of leg braces.
When Claire completed the Easter Seals preschool program, she left in the physical sense only. She continued to remain close to Hiack and attend various Easter Seals events throughout the coming years. After preschool, she was placed in a kindergarten program. She was the first student with disabilities to be mainstreamed at her school.
In 1979, when Claire was in first grade, she was selected as the Easter Seals national child representative and traveled across the country with her parents to tell her story.
Continued Success
Claire continued to attend typical schools until she graduated. “It was challenging but I have a strong sense of determination,” she says. While accommodations often had to be made, such as help getting from class to class in a timely fashion, her disability never held her back. She was on the cheerleading squad, took dance classes and graduated with honors from both high school and college.
During her college years, Huckel returned to Easter Seals, working as a camp counselor. This experience showed her what she wanted to do with her life. “I was really inspired by the campers, camp staff and therapists,” she says. “I knew I wanted to be in a field where I could help others. I think teaching was always in my mind in some capacity.”
After graduating from college with a degree in special education, Huckel taught preschool and kindergarten and was a resource room teacher for students with learning disabilities. She went on to earn her master’s degree in education. In September 1998, Huckel returned to Easter Seals on a permanent basis. She taught preschool in a room adjacent to the teacher who had inspired her so many years before. Hiack would have a profound role in Huckel’s life once again, that of mentor.
National Representative
As if life hadn’t come full circle enough, Huckel was selected as the national adult Easter Seals representative in 2001. She traveled the country again, but with new words of wisdom to share.
“I was able to apply my professional experience as a teacher and an educator, as well as recognize the people in my family and people at Easter Seals,” she says. From a young age, her parents and her educators taught her to believe in herself. She credits that belief with shaping her career. It’s a belief she, in turn, has passed along to her students.
As a teacher, Huckel had a special ability to relate to the children. “I brought the knowledge and experience of education. I also brought the personal experience. I can actually understand the challenges the children face. The students remind me you need to believe in yourself and you need to keep going. I’m fortunate I can give to others. There’s a unique understanding there,” she says.
This ability to relate to children also confers to their parents. “It was comforting to parents to see how successful Claire had become. It provided hope,” says O’Brien.
Giving Back
Huckel has as much admiration for parents as they have for her. “Parents are critical to the teaching team. They are their child’s first teacher and their advocate. It is important to listen to them. They know their child best. The more we work together, the better the results,” says Huckel.
“At Easter Seals every child does make progress. At times it can be at a much slower pace and appear small. We recognize and celebrate the little steps toward the bigger accomplishments,” she says.
Huckel has been in her recent position, that of Southeastern Pennsylvania coordinator of staff training and development, since 2002. While her responsibilities differ from those in the classroom, her inspiring teaching tactics trickle down to the current student population. She is still the only person who has served as both child and adult national Easter Seals representative.
After speaking with Huckel, you realize she has far more than a job, or a career. She has a purpose — to give back that which she was given. She recites the Easter Seals mission statement as one of her own personal mottos to live by: To create solutions that change the lives of children and adults with disabilities or other special needs and their families.
As O’Brien says, “Claire epitomizes what our mission is at Easter Seals. She gives other children and parents hope.”
Emily Lambert is a local freelance writer.