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Overview

Buffalo State’s Exceptional Education Department was one of the first programs in the country dedicated to training teachers for students with disabilities.

The college's first cohort of exceptional education teachers graduated in 1953 when the field was relatively new. Since then, the role of the special educator has grown and evolved as has the need for highly skilled exceptional education teachers.

Today, Buffalo State's Exceptional Education Department is nationally recognized for providing undergraduates and graduates with the skills, knowledge, and competencies identified in professional, accreditation, and state standards.

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Our Mission

The mission of the Exceptional Education Department is to prepare teachers, scholars, and action researchers as exemplary leaders, and to advance the profession of special education through the science and art of teaching, learning, and collaborating.

Our graduates will contribute to the community by serving the needs of persons with disabilities and by broadening the general populations’ understanding and appreciation of individuals with disabilities.

Buffalo State Mission

Our Stories

Christine Garas, Class of 2020

“With my degree, I’ll be able to work anywhere from a regular classroom to a self-contained one. Friends who are studying education at other schools don’t necessarily have that option.”

Read Christine's Story
Christine Garas headshot