 Mary M. Wood Papers
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteDr. Mary Wood began teaching special needs students in the 1950s and graduated from the University of Georgia with a doctorate in Education in 1963. Her early work focused on developing a training program that could serve as a model site for learning that could serve as an example and expand throughout the state. At the time there were no educational facilities or programs for emotionally or behaviorally disturbed youths- except at state hospitals. In 1970, Dr. Wood became Director of the Rutland Center, an educational clinic in Athens that opened in 1964 as part of the University of Georgia's "Special Education Clinic for Disturbed Children." At the Rutland Center, Dr. Wood created the model center of therapy, teaching, and training that she had envisioned. By the end of the decade there were over twenty special education centers that used Dr. Wood's methods and models and were coordinated in the Georgia Psychoeducational Center Network, which continues to exist today as the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS). Dr. Wood developed a method and model of training that combined special education with mental health treatment for children, adolescents, and young adults. Her ideas and system were known as Developmental Therapy Teaching (DTT) and it stressed stages and levels of learning that focused on individuals needs from students with special needs. DTT became a national and international model for teaching children with special needs. Dr. Wood has published extensively and presented on the subject of DTT and her work in the field of special education. Her work continues to be an important source for educators, teachers, and students in the field. Scope and ContentThe Mary M. Wood Papers contain materials related to Dr. Wood's work in the field of special education and mental health. The papers include scrapbooks related to her early work at the Rutland Center in Athens, GA and her work on Developmental Teaching Therapy. The papers include documents related to her long career as an educator and innovator and include brochures, resource guides, grant materials, and conference papers and presentations. Organization and ArrangementThe Mary M. Wood Papers are arranged into four series: Series I. Developmental Therapy Teaching and Outreach, Series II. Grants, Series III. Developmental Theory Publications, and Series IV. Additions. Administrative InformationConditions Governing AccessCollection is open for research. Preferred citationThe Mary M. Wood Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. User RestrictionsLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Finding Aid PublicationFinding Aid prepared by Angelica Marini & Jessica Wylie, 2016. Added "additions" series., 2024-01-29. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
Georgia Disability History Archive | ||||||||||||||||||||