September 25, 2025

Written by Evan Bloom

Pictured left to right: Eric Scharoun, Hanshi Rande Lawrence, and Matthew Killian

For Immediate Release

Karate Demonstration For Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities At The Fayetteville Free Library

FAYETTEVILLE, NY. – September 25, 2025 – A demonstration to introduce karate to both adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their mentors will be held at the Fayetteville Free Library on Wednesday, October 1st at 2pm. The library is located at 300 Orchard St, Fayetteville, NY 13066. The media are invited to attend.

Hanshi Rande Lawrence, head instructor at Lawrence World Class Karate will lead the demonstration together with Eric Scharoun and Matthew Killian, two students from his dojo who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Shihan Andy Boucounis, Renshi Gary Guidera, and Renshi Nancy Finch, all senior black belt students from the dojo , will be assisting.

“The objective of the demonstration is to show how beneficial karate is for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We warmly invite them to attend,” said Hanshi (Master) Rande Lawrence. “This martial art provides a safe environment in which challenged adults can improve physical abilities like balance, coordination, and motor skills. Additionally, they are also able to enhance their cognitive functions which includes self-control, memory, and focus.

Learning karate in a structured and safe environment enhances social interaction, builds confidence, facilitates discipline, and most importantly, helps challenged individuals develop a sense of personal accomplishment. “These are critical components that all work together to build overall well-being for the challenged adult, and child for that matter,” adds Lawrence.

Eric Scharoun is 59 years old and has down syndrome. He is a 5th degree black belt, and it is believed that this is the highest karate rank achieved by a person with down syndrome in the United States. He has been a student at Lawrence World Class Karate dojo in Central New York where he has been training with Hanshi Lawrence for over 30 years. He has participated in the American Athletic Union National Championships for karate and is a medal winner.

Scharoun’s impetus to study karate came from his love of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris movies. His mother introduced him to Hanshi Lawrence in the early 1990s, and he has been training and learning at Lawrence World Class Karate ever since.

Matthew Killian is a blind 26-year-old with autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy. He became blind at the age of 19 due to a rare disease called Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) and has been an epileptic since the age of three. He was diagnosed with autism when he was 10 years old. Matthew has competed in a number of karate tournaments and has won a number of medals.

Lawrence World Class Karate dojo is the only karate school in Central New York specializing in traditional Japanese Shotokan and Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate Systems.

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Press contact for interviews with Hanshi Lawrence: 

Evan Bloom

Fortress Strategic Communications

evan@fortresscomms.com 

(315)744-4912