Fulfilling Potential



“I was on the defense from the start; very nervous and desperate. I didn’t mean to be adversarial, but I was ignorant of the process and overwhelmed. I made mistakes.”  



When I enrolled at Tufts University to pursue my masters in public policy, I was preparing for a future I didn’t see coming. What began as an intellectual interest in law and its processes would become a personal and essential life skill.


The year was 2005 when the bottom dropped out of my world. My husband and I learned that our young son suffered from a pervasive developmental disorder—a high functioning form of autism. Grieving and scared, I clearly recall my first parent IEP meeting with our son’s preschool. Gathered to represent the school, a room full of professionals, speaking in unfamiliar terms, reviewed a 20-page document I only marginally comprehended—the Individual Education Plan that would affect the trajectory of our son’s life-long development and chances at success. The stakes were high; my emotions were charged; I was out of my depth.


“Then I hired a special education parent advocate and everything changed.”



Recognizing the need for professional guidance, I hired an advocate to help me understand and navigate the intricacies of the educational planning process: from hiring independent experts and managing the sequencing of events, to accurately interpreting our son’s assessments. As a neutral party, the advocate arbitrated negotiations on our behalf, while mentoring me on what to expect and how to make informed, effective choices.

What I initially assumed to be a stigma, I soon recognized as an opportunity. Process oriented, detailed and intrigued by law—it’s applications and processes—the demands of an advocate felt like a natural fit. Reading everything I could get my hands on, I joined advocacy organizations at the national, state and local levels, eventually deciding to pursue advocacy training. My passion as a young woman had led me to study public policy—life gave me an application.


“We are the system.”


Our son processes visual information differently than the majority of us. Highly sensitive to visual stimuli, he sees the components of a whole in vast quantity and infinite detail, then with the absorbed focus and engaged patience of a master artist, enjoys rendering detailed facsimiles with an attention to nuance the average eye fails to perceive. Without sharing his artistic talents, I possess a comparable ability to skillfully coordinate the complex assemblage of players and potential that comprise each client case—seeing both the whole and the sum of its parts.


Combining an in-depth knowledge of the legislation that mandates each party’s rights and responsibilities, the wisdom of experience and a nuanced empathy for the needs and motivations of the diverse personalities and interests involved, I bring fresh eyes and calm clarity to a process that should be viewed as a business transaction. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees every child’s right to a free and appropriate education. As a special education advocate, I help parents establish the right footing with their child’s educational providers and ensures that the child’s needs and potential are fully and appropriately served as the law intended. Since only the parent will be with that child day in and day out for the duration of their education, empowering parents is also an essential part of my service.


Empowering and evolving the system—the interrelated network of parents, administrators, providers and lawmakers working to establish opportunities for success in a disadvantaged community—defines my ultimate fulfillment. Aligning my daily reality as a parent of a child with special needs and an advocate for parents new to the process with a macro perspective, I actively participate in local and state advocacy organizations lending my voice and experience to the broader discussion.



"It can be devastating to hear your child has a disability, but as I learned first hand, that same child can be “enabled” in ways that open doors to new experiences."