The following email was sent from Vice President for Special Education MaryJo Ginese to all school counselors, speech teachers, occupational and physical therapists, social workers and psychologists on Wednesday, Feb. 9.

"You have all gone above and beyond the call of duty," UFT President Michael Mulgrew said at the UFT's annual Teacher Union Day on Nov. 7 that honored the courage and hard work of members during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 30 years ago, Antoinette Messina, now retired, taught an immigrant boy to speak English. In a simple twist of fate, that boy, who grew up to be a physical therapist, today is teaching Messina to walk again.

Every year, we ask you to nominate a colleague who does outstanding work. During this challenging and unusual school year, we wanted to highlight a therapist who has provided outstanding in-person and tele-therapy. Here's a conversation with our physical therapist of the year, Silvia Vaher, who works at PS 229 in Queens.

The following guidance was sent to all DOE-employed speech teachers, occupational therapists and physical therapists from UFT President Michael Mulgrew on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020.

As an occupational therapist at PS 231 in Brooklyn, Victoria Kravets helps students with cognitive or physical disabilities develop adaptive skills. During the coronavirus pandemic, Kravets shifted her work online to support students through teletherapy.