Hillery Susan Schneiderman, age 83, died peacefully on March 3, 2019, at Francis House in Syracuse after a long illness. She was born in South Wales NY to the late Sanford and Virginia Cornwall on May 26, 1935.
She attended Antioch College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, after which she taught Public School in Rochester NY and Syracuse NY for several years. After it was discovered that her son David had autism, she became engaged in a thirty-five year effort to advocate for people who have disabilities.
She was on the board of Syracuse University’s Center on Human Policy, and later became an employee on the Direction Service Grant. Working with other parents, people who have disabilities, and caring professionals, she advocated for the inclusion of disabled people in all walks of life: nursery school, elementary through high school and beyond, residential, vocational, recreation and transportation services.
She was Co-chair of the Onondaga County Residential Planning Cluster, Chair of the Parents Advisory Group for Education of Syracuse City Schools, President of Parents Information Group for Exceptional Children, one of the founding members of Take-A-Break, later known as Exceptional Family Resources, one of founding members of Onondaga Community Living and Connections, chaired the committee for transition of the first truly integrated class from Jowonio to Ed Smith city school, later assisted in the transition to Levy Junior High, and Nottingham High School. She helped develop Parent Hot Line, and was editor of the first Onondaga Directory of Services for Children and Adults with Handicapping Conditions.
Hillery is survived by her husband, Dr. Herbert Schneiderman, her son R. Anders Schneiderman, her daughter Julia Elizabeth Schneiderman, her son David Sanford Schneiderman, her sister Sally Zoe Cornwall, her granddaughter Celeste Wiswall and her grandson Aaron Wiswall. She will be remembered as a kind, loving, gentle, compassionate, and generous wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend.
A short service for the family was held at the Burns and Garfield Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at the May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society at 1pm April 6.