By donning your advocate’s superhero cape, you improve your advocacy, gain school district respect and make positive, systemic change. Read more in IDEAs on Education in The Jolt.
On January 9, I was super excited to be invited to present to the Benton-Franklin Counties Special Education PTA. I spoke on special education community complaints, which is what WSC are called in Washington. The presentation is also on my YouTube channel. I hope it is helpful to you!
This month, I’m all about written state complaints. I’m publishing a series of articles on state complaints in my weekly column, IDEAs on Education, on the Jolt. I’m also providing free training for the Benton-Frankly Special Education PTA on state complaints, and I have a 3...
It’s that time of year again! The gifts have been given, the family has gathered, houses are still glowing with the joy that only twinkling lights can bring, and parents are blowing up my phone demanding to file for due process.
Stop. Breathe. Take a walk. Breathe some more.
Due...
Lots of exciting new activities at Advocacy Unlocked!
I am offering a series of workshops and a workgroup, Mastering Written State Complaints this month, as well as focusing on complaints in my weekly column, IDEAs on Education. I’m also writing a book on the topic, so I have read -...
Once upon a time, individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities had no choice but to endure these limitations. It didn’t matter if they spoke up; no one listened.
Life was just like that, until … Read more in IDEAs on Education in The Jolt.
My child is a third grader in NTPS. He has a 504 Plan for ADHD and dyslexia. He gets in trouble a lot for playing and not paying attention, and he won’t do his work. The teachers have started sending him to the office because of his behavior, so he is missing out on class and doesn’t...
“When I read the Procedural Safeguards,” said a foster parent of a child with an IEP (Individualized Educational Plan), “I didn’t know that Yelm had to follow state laws. I thought it was only the federal government.” Read more in IDEAs on Education in The Jolt.
Ask artificial intelligence (AI) about special education, and the online oracle has been trained to respond with such delightful phrases as, “navigating a maze” and “demystifying the jargon.” This is accurate: I have two master's degrees in education, and I still...
The Changing Faces of Our Schools
According to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s, or OSPI’s, school district report cards, the number of students enrolled in the North Thurston, Olympia and Tumwater school districts declined by 1,035 students between 2018 and...
The Tacoma Special Education PTA is an amazing resource for Pierce County families. The group provides training and resource to Tacoma School District families. On October 23, their Zoom meeting focused on making schools more inclusive. I had the great honor to hear of a very ...
Tonight, the South Sound Legislative Forum was held at The Olympia Center. The forum was organized and hosted by the Developmental Disabilities Coalition (Thurston County) and The Arc of Washington. It was an amazing experience, hearing from self-advocates and policy champions. I am especially...
