Owner wrote:
HANDLE Founder Judith Bluestone Passes Away
On February 18, 2009, the world lost an amazing woman. Judith died at the age of 64, in Atlanta, GA, where she had lived for the past several years. She is survived by her son and sister, and by thousands who very personally feel the loss of her from their lives.Judith Bluestone was an internationally renowned specialist in neuro-developmental disorders and learning challenges. As an intuitive healer and educator, she had remarkable gifts for enabling function in herself and others. Judith dedicated her life – heart and soul – to the creation and expansion of The HANDLE® Institute in Seattle, WA, which she founded in 1994, the same year I co-founded DDR. I first met her soon after we both started our organizations, and realized that we were definitely “on the same page.” I was humbled by how Judith had experienced many of the same issues as her clients: autism, seizures, constant pain, and hypersensitivities, and was applying what she had learned about healing herself to others. In the end her efforts became overwhelming.Judith spread awareness of HANDLE® around the world. Just looking at her course schedule would exhaust the average educator: Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, India, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa. Bluestone created the Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency (HANDLE®) in the 1980’s and through the Institute, trained and certified over 125 individuals as Practitioners and Screeners of the HANDLE® program. Go to www.handle.org to view the schedule of courses the Institute is offering, and attend one if you have never experienced HANDLE®. Judith received much acknowledgement for her achievements. In 2004, she won the Jefferson Award in Seattle, and then the national Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for community service. I met with Judith in Atlanta last year at her home office and therapy studio. She and I reminisced about how some of the “new” therapies are reincarnations of ones we practiced in the 1960’s, and shared our excitement about the strides we have made in the 40 years we have been helping children with special needs. We spoke of collaboration and perhaps a joint conference with DDR and HANDLE®, with the two of us as keynote speakers. Alas, that will never be.Judith left The HANDLE® Institute in Seattle in capable and loving hands, and it will continue the work she began. If you would like to do something in honor of Judith, please share your knowledge of HANDLE with anyone you know who might benefit from it. Or make a non-tax-deductible donation to The HANDLE Institute International, LLC to support the Institute or to The Churkendoose Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission it is to provide opportunities for many to experience the benefits of HANDLE. The Project’s contact information can be found at www.churkendoose.org.The HANDLE Institute has set up an email for you to send your questions, thoughts and memories about Judith. Please share them at HANDLEassist@gmail.com.
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