Florida DCDT Visions Conference 2025
We are happy to be a Gold Sponsor to help support the great work the Florida DCDT Vision Conference 2025 shares with all the participants who attend!
Best Buddies Friendship Walk
This past weekend, our Miami-Dade HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students joined the Best Buddies Friendship Walk. They celebrated inclusion, friendship, and community. The event was packed with family-friendly fun, from games and music to delicious food and sensory-friendly vendors offering amazing products and services. We’re proud of our HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students for being a part of a movement that promotes kindness and inclusion for all!
Meet Carter a 14-year-old entrepreneur on the Autism Spectrum who is turning his challenges into opportunities!
Carter founded Carter’s Spectrum Golf, a brand that combines his love for golf with a powerful mission to raise awareness, inspire others, and embrace the beauty of being different. Now, he’s taking his journey even further with his new book, Swinging Beyond the Spectrum, where he shares his experiences, triumphs, and the lessons he’s learned along the way. For Carter, golf is more than just a game it’s a way to prove that our differences make us stronger and that we all have the power to write our own stories.
Spotlight on Kate Gilson Miranda
Kate wears many hats, a sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, niece, granddaughter, team member, and role model but above all, she is a leader in empowerment and inclusion. As an HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. alumna, University of North Florida graduate, and HDS Foundation Board Member and Educator & Program Facilitator, Kate continues to inspire students, parents, and educators, showing them that with the right support, young adults with disabilities can thrive. This past year, Kate took on an even bigger role through Best Buddies as an Ambassador, representing individuals with disabilities on a larger stage. Kate’s mission is raising awareness, advocating for inclusion, and making a lasting impact. We are so proud of Kate and the difference she is making one day at a time, one life at a time.
Celebrating Autism Acceptance with Miguel
iCode – Empowering Future Innovators
Today, the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students embarked on their weekly Community-Based Instruction (CBI) field trip to iCode, an interactive STEM Education Learning Center that provides coding and STEM instruction led by instructors for children from kindergarten to 12th...
HDS Companies Software Developer
During this week's HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S Career Series, Alejandro Clavelo, a Software Developer at HDS Companies, shared his career path from college to employment with the class. Initially aspiring to become an astronaut during his youth in Cuba, he dreamed of one day...
B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Students Enjoy the Best Burgers in Town!
For students with autism spectrum disorder and related abilities, socializing and participating in everyday activities can be challenging. That is why our HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Community Based Instruction (CBI) field trips are so important. Recently, our students enjoyed...
Dedicated Service Through Teamwork
The HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students headed to the local fire department for their Community Based Instruction (CBI) field trip. This CBI gave the students the opportunity to learn about what it entails to work in this field of helping others in the community when in...
Discovering the Beyond
During their Career Series this month, the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students were able to connect with special guests, Sean Dunne, who serves as the Resources Management Officer (RMO) in the Exploration Research and Technology Group at Kennedy Space Center, and Dean Reges,...
Reaching the Special Needs Community Through the Arts.
During the 2023 Career Series, the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students had the privilege of meeting Gustavo Padrino, the Community Engagement Manager at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Gustavo shared his journey from college to employment and explained how he...
HDS Foundation Celebrates Autism Acceptance Month
More than 50 years have passed since the first National Autism Awareness month was observed in the United States in April 1970. This month's events are meant to increase understanding of Autism and promote the inclusion of those who fall within the Autism Spectrum. ...
A Special Guest Visits the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Students
HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students and facilitators warmly welcomed Kate Gilson Miranda, a Junior Board Member of the HDS Foundation, who served as a guest speaker during the Career Experience Series. Kate was delighted to tell them about her personal journey, from high...
HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Students Get a Lesson in Self-Advocacy
The HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students welcomed Ally Walford from the Family Network on Disability, who came out to speak to them about self-advocacy this week. Ally took the opportunity to emphasize the value of self-advocacy and the five areas that students should...
Runners and Walkers… Get Set, Ready, and Go!
The ESE teachers at Homestead Senior High School organized a 5K Buddy Run/Walk for their students, which was held just before Spring Break. Throughout the last few months, students signed up to become a "Buddy" with a student in the Exceptional Student Education...