It was a big weekend for Daniel Smith of Westford. He celebrated a birthday and graduated from Hopeful Journeys, a special education school in Beverly.
Daniel has autism and severe intellectual disabilities. The town of Westford has paid for his education and other services since he was 3 years old, but his funding ended Saturday when he turned 22, as required by Massachusetts law.
Gretchen Connors, Daniel’s mom, said she had been preparing to transition Daniel to the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS) since he was approved for adult services 18 months ago…