Helena Trafford Devereux (February 2, 1885 – November 17, 1975) is an American educator who founded the Devereux Foundation. She is considered a pioneer in the field of special education. In 1912, Devereux began the first Devereux School for Exceptional Children in her home with less than $100. Today, more than 6,000 Devereux staff provides services to tens of thousands of children, adolescents, adults, and their families in 11 states and millions more across the country through public education and prevention programs each year. Education Devereux graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1904 and from the Philadelphia Normal School for Girls in 1906 where she trained to become a teacher. Upon graduation she began teaching in one of Philadelphia's most underprivileged communities, at the George Washington School in South Philadelphia. At a time when very little was known or understood about people with disabilities, Devereux took an interest in “slow learning” children. She recognized early that the public school system was ill-equipped to teach children with mental handicaps. Her intuitive ideas in developing individualized educational programs for children with special needs were far beyond her time. While the system had typically referred to slow learners as “throw-aways” Devereux believed that every child should be given opportunities to learn and achieve personal accomplishments. She believed that special educators are missionaries at heart. Soon, her class became the de facto special education classroom. In 1911, Devereux was offered the job of Director of Special Education by the Philadelphia Board of Education, a new position designed to supervise the creation of a special education department. Despite being offered a handsome salary for the time, she turned it down, believing that she could have a greater impact branching off on her own. Also in 1911, Devereux received national attention following a visit to her classroom from a reporter. Shortly thereafter, “The First Class of Special Education in an Elementary School in Philadelphia” was published. Following the publication about her teaching methods, Devereux was contacted by a parent in South Carolina, interested in entrusting her challenged son to Devereux's care. For $200, Devereux agreed to assume responsibility for the boy during the summer. The child, Robert Simpson, would become Devereux's first private school student. During that time, Devereux also received similar offers from other parents of children with special needs. In the summer of 1911, Devereux rented at six-bedroom home in Avalon,