Portland Educator Tamra Hass Receives 2005 National Inspired Teacher Scholarship for Visual Learning From Inspiration Software®, Inc.

Portland School District Educator Awarded Scholarship for Professional Development

PORTLAND, OR—April 12, 2005
Inspiration Software®, Inc., the Portland-based developer of visual learning software, today announced that Tamra Hass, a speech-language pathologist and autism specialist for the Portland School District, is a recipient of a 2005 Inspired Teacher Scholarship for Visual Learning.

In its seventh year, the Inspired Teacher Scholarship program supports professional development activities for K-12 educators who champion the integration of graphic organizers and technology into the curriculum. Hass joins 29 other award recipients worldwide who will use the $750 scholarships for a wide range of professional development activities, including attendance at a conference, training event or professional education course where visual learning is a key topic.

Using Inspiration, Hass developed a set of visual informal assessments and teaching tools designed to support adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. This program makes use of graphic organizers and visual schematics to help teachers and parents provide comprehensive curriculum for developing social success in a mainstream classroom environment. Students use templates to learn and review appropriate social interactions. Over 100 educators in the state of Oregon are currently using her materials. She also presents workshops at various Oregon schools designed to teach school personnel more about visual learning and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Hass plans to use the $750 scholarship funds to attend Closing the Gap in Minneapolis, a technology conference for educators who work with students with disabilities. "I’m honored to be selected as a scholarship recipient," says Hass. "Children with autism often learn best when they see information, or when it is presented to them visually. That is why Inspiration and the principles of visual learning are a natural resource for students with autism. This program speaks to them in their own language: Visual."

"Each year, we look forward to reviewing Inspired Teacher Scholarship applications and the opportunity to learn more about the innovative ways that teachers are using visual learning methodologies," said Mona Westhaver, President and co-founder, Inspiration Software. "We are pleased to support education leaders, like Tamra Hass, with scholarships for their professional development."

The 2006 Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning program will be announced in July and applications will be available in September.

About Inspiration Software, Inc.
Recognized as the leader in visual thinking and learning, Inspiration Software, Inc. develops and publishes innovative software tools that inspire learners of all ages to brainstorm, organize, plan and create. With more than 15 million users worldwide, the company's award-winning software is revolutionizing visual learning in education—inspiring students to develop strong thinking and organizational skills and improve their academic performance. Founded by Donald Helfgott and Mona Westhaver, the company's mission is to support improvements in education and make a positive difference in students' lives by providing software tools that help students learn to think.