“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."
