Jane Ann Blumenfeld, a pioneer of special education programs in the state of New Mexico who taught courses at the University of New Mexico, died late last month in Madison, Wisconsin. She was 95 years old.
A native of Detroit, Blumenfeld moved to New Mexico in 1948. She started the first special education class in Albuquerque Public Schools in 1955. Dr. Blumenfeld taught special education courses at the University of New Mexico and arranged for the hiring of the first university faculty member to prepare teachers for instructing students with severe disabilities.
Dr. Blumenfeld was the co-author of Help Them Grow, a pictorial handbook for parents of students with disabilities. From 1970 to 1987, she served as a coordinator for special education for the Albuquerque Public Schools. In 2005, Dr. Blumenfeld received the Excellence in Education Award from the College of Education at the University of New Mexico.
The Jane Blumenfeld Endowment in Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Special Education Diagnosis and Assessment has been established by the University of New Mexico Foundation.