Dr. Shana Erenberg defines special needs and talks about the changes she’s seen in her years in the field, including encouraging trends and inclusion.
Dr. Shana Erenberg is the co-founder and president of the Board of Directors of the Libenu Foundation. She is also the Chairman of the Department of Education and professor at Blitstein Institute of Hebrew Theological College in Chicago. She also maintains a private practice for the diagnostic evaluation, remediation, and advocacy of children and adults with special needs. Dr. Erenberg is the Special Needs Consultant to the Community Foundation for Jewish Education and the Board of Jewish Education of Chicago, where she was instrumental in establishing and training the Makor Or Consultants. In addition, Dr. Erenberg serves as a consultant and provides inservice teacher training for teachers for numerous day schools and public schools in metropolitan Chicago and throughout the United States. She is the co-chair of the International Consortium of Jewish Special Educator in Central Agencies and a frequent conference speaker. Dr. Erenberg is the founder of the Keshet Sunday School and served as its director for twenty years. Dr. Erenberg has served as a Level I Due Process Hearing Officer, and continues to do advocacy and due process work. She also serves as a member of the University Review Board for the Illinois State Board of Education. Dr. Erenberg has a doctorate in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University, and multiple State teacher certifications in Elementary and Special Education. Dr. Erenberg is actively involved in community endeavors and volunteer work, and is currently co-president of the Chicago Council of AMIT.
She is married to Steve and has four children and two grandchildren.