MCS therapist receives award

A member of the Macon County Schools exceptional children’s program has been selected as the recipient of the Stephen E. Sallee Award of Excellence. Tamme Youmans, a school-based physical therapist accepted the honor last week during a conference held over Zoom.

“Tamme is an exemplary part of the exceptional children’s team, and we couldn’t agree more with her receiving this distinction,” said Cristy Passmore, Exceptional Children (EC) program specialist.

Youmans has been a school-based physical therapist for 29 years, working with Macon County Schools since the program began. She started her career at a Florida school district in 1984, moving to North Carolina in 1993. Youman is the sole physical therapist for Macon County Schools.

“My inspiration and thanks are to the wonderful people I’ve worked with over the years,” she said. “I am incredibly humbled and blessed to receive this award. When I found out my director, Brooke Keener had nominated me, I was so tickled.

The Stephen E. Sallee Award of Excellence is granted by the North Carolina Assistive Technology Program (NCATP). Eligible recipients include advocates, users, professionals, or volunteers in the field of assistive technology whose personal achievements have increased access to or awareness of the benefits of assistive technology for people with disabilities in North Carolina. Since 1995, NCATP has awarded 60 individuals or organizations this distinction.

Thanks to assistive technology, Youmans has been able to help her students feel included and participate in their world. Using devices like adaptive walkers, mobile standers, power wheelchairs and more, she has watched them be able to go after whatever they want. She is thankful for these technological advances that provide accommodations that would have never been possible in previous generations.

“When I have watched how hard my students work to do things so many of us take for granted, I’m even more motivated to think outside the box and work to find whatever will help them do what they want to do,” said Youmans. “My life has been so enriched by the students that I have served that I thank God every day for the continued help and ability to work with them. They are the reason why I still do what I do.”

As a school-based physical therapist, Youmans offers different treatment plans than what one would receive in a hospital or clinical setting.

“This position is unique because I’m focused on a child’s functional ability to access their education and keep up with their peers,” Youmans said. “The job requires a lot of problem solving and creativity because every child is different. My kids are such hard workers and persevere beyond what many originally thought possible for themselves.”

Outside of school, Youmans enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, biking, and walking. You can find her and her husband adventuring with their dog, four kids and three grandkids.