CEC Launches New Accessible Website, Additional Membership Offerings

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has rolled out a new website equipped with new accessibility features, making it easier for its members to access the plethora of resources provided by the organization. This is the first of many steps to bring the CEC's digital presence into one location.

“In addition to a more modern and responsive look, members will notice that it’s easier to access the various products and resources we had spread across many websites previously,” said Mason Shelby, CEC’s Digital Content Manager. “This is the first step in bringing together all of our websites and resources in the coming months, including many of our Division and Units. CEC covers a wide variety of members and subgroups that all have different wants and needs, and this digital transformation allows us to better serve them and help them see the value of CEC membership."

Along with the new website, members also now have additional access to resources that were previously only available for purchase. Access to recorded and live trainings are now available for many CEC members for free based on their level of membership. In addition, a new Early Career Professional category was launched and ALL student members now have access to free professional liability insurance.

“We stepped back and let the data tell us what members want and need in order to be successful in their jobs,” said Judy Harrison, Director of Membership, Marketing, and Communications. “CEC does a great job of providing that professional development, so we included it in membership packages to increase the value of belonging to CEC.”

The professional development offerings are now being managed in a fully functional Learning Management System, making it easier for members to track professional development hours. It also provides opportunities for new and advanced offerings.

“With our new CEC Learning Library, we have the capabilities to better track training and provide additional synchronous and asynchronous offerings,” said Jenn Bullock, Director of Professional Development and Resources. “We were able to launch a five-part jumpstart program for early career teachers entering or returning to the classroom last week using this platform, and we will continue to grow these additional offerings now that we have a new platform available.”

The entire project is part of CEC’s strategic goal of better serving its members. In addition to ensuring accessibility, a new live chat member support tool has been added and CEC will now start working to migrate many of its Division and Unit websites to the same platform for ease of sharing resources with members.

“While it’s taken us several months and tens of thousands of dollars to get here, we are still in the early stages of this digital revolution,” said Chad Rummel, Executive Director. “But even at this early stage, you can begin to see the strength of CEC when all of its pieces begin to work together. As we celebrate this milestone today, I’m even more excited to see what we can continue to do over the coming months to support our members who support children with exceptionalities.”

About Us

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the leading association of educators dedicated to advancing the success of children and youth with exceptionalities through advocacy, standards, and professional development.

For immediate release
Contact: Alex Garvey, 703-264-9435, agarvey@exceptionalchildren.org