Special Education Advocates Are Highly Valued -

By The U.S. Department Of Education

In a land where coffee flows like rivers and memes reign supreme, there exists a peculiar group known as special education advocates. These valiant warriors of inclusion, armed with stacks of paperwork and hearts full of compassion, have a single mission: to ensure that every child receives the education they deserve. Yet, despite their noble cause, they find themselves trapped in a vortex of...

EDUCATION ADVOCACY IS FOR EVERYONE

IT IS AN ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY RESOURCE

When I think of education advocacy I see Batman’s utility belt, but instead of gadgets, it endows parents with superpowers to fight for their children’s education rights. You could think of it as a mix of Professor X’s telepathy and Hermione Granger’s knowledge of magic spells- empowering parents to make informed decisions, creating positive change, and the getting of functional outcomes...

PLAYING NICE IN THE SANDBOX

MANAGING DISAGREEMENTS

Managing disagreements and ineffective interactions is a core skill of professional special education advocacy. We must choose whether we want conflict or peace. Learning peace comes from getting out of the inner conflict of attack and grievance maintenance which means getting out of the ego side of the conflict.

Parents come to us with an inner war that is going on already that they are outwardly expressing. We do not...

Please Tell Me That You Walk on Water

This could be the entreaty of those parents who have the distinct feeling that, at the IEP table, their comments are magically heard by team members only in a foreign language. Another common perception is that all comments by parents will be met with rolling eyes, sighs, and harumphs if not another adjustment in the team member seats and a chorus of clearing throats.

While this may be an exaggeration, if you are a parent feeling this way, something...