Martha Schultz’s career in special education spans 42 years, as a Teaching Assistant, a Special Education Teacher, a Program Specialist, and a SELPA Director. She is particularly passionate about working with transition-aged individuals to help them fulfill their dreams and become as independent as possible. She believes that strong relationships with family and friends who support the students are essential, and has always endeavored to develop respectful partnerships with these support people. Martha recognizes that there is a large gap between the goal of safe living environments for adults with disabilities and the reality facing families who are seeking these for their loved ones. She is thrilled to be a part of Mustang Acres’ innovative vision. Martha’s B.A. degree in Psychology was from the University of the Pacific, and her M.Ed. degree in Special Education was from the University of Arizona. Both of these programs had a strong focus on applied behavior analysis which led her to understand that behaviors which seem “problematic” are usually just an inability to communicate wants and needs. So, it is our job to determine the communication intent of the behaviors and teach more appropriate communication strategies. In Martha’s free time, she leads international hiking trips for the Sierra Club and hopes to inspire participants to combat climate change in their own communities.