Annie Williams is a Special Education Teacher at South Jefferson High school in Adams, New York who teaches her students the skills of self-advocacy to help them during their post-secondary education. Her point of emphasis is ensuring students are aware of the IEP and understanding the content within so that students can advocate for themselves. Annie shares a story about the positive results from a former student advocating for herself to take the class she wanted.

Stephanie Wozniack in the Lower Hudson Valley Region provided training with her colleague Kit Casey on the self-directed IEP process. Training sessions follow a team approach by engaging students in the IEP process and exceed expectations in self-direction while also providing educators and specialists with tools and knowledge to support students in superior ways. The end goal is to provide a team approach that is individualized needs for the student, while also providing educators with knowledge on different processes so they can tailor these processes to the best one for the area.

Dr. Noreen Leahy, Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services and Special Education at Rockville Centre UFSD, describes how their students create and achieve their goals in school and beyond. She discusses how the process of the student’s transition assessment evolved to help students recognize their strengths and weakness so they can be emphasized and improved upon.

Naomi Brickel, a Director Community and Support Network in Lower Hudson Valley Region and Coordinator for the Westchester Institute for Human Development. Naomi describes, through the lens of her experience with her son John Paul, how students become empowered to challenge themselves when they take an active part in their IEP process.

Kate Ferguson led a week long training for teachers and administrators to help empower students to find their voices and take charge of their lives, Individualized Education Programs (IEP), and education paths. She describes how students learned about their strengths and needs and their IEP. They also learned how to communicate those needs to teachers in order to advocate for themselves. Similarly, teachers learned from students what their needs were and how to create a positive educational environment where student can achieve success.

Cathy Pantelides is a transition specialist in the Long Island Region and shares her experience providing training on the student-directed IEP to school districts in her region. Cathy shares the four part series of the student-directed IEP trainings offered across the region and how those who attend those trainings work with their students to increase self-determination.

Carol Watros, provided training in Region of New York. Carol shares how students being involved in their IEP progress have impacted them. Carol describes students who have gained self-determination skills and how that has allowed them to find success in their future goals.

“Having the students lead their meetings is just so much more effective than having teachers sit around and discuss with a parent what their child needs…” says Peggy Bennet, Special Education Teacher at Altmar-Perish-Williamstown School District. Peggy is taking part in a pilot program that encourages and empowers students to take a lead in their IEP meetings. Peggy recounts an example of a student who directed his IEP meeting and the results that followed.

Career development is a lifelong process, an ongoing interaction of interests, experiences and knowledge. Kristin Tomaszewski is a life skills teacher with students who have intellectual and developmental disabilities at Fredonia Central School District. She describes how she built upon her longstanding student-run enterprise, toward a multi-year career development program.

When you don’t have a lot of resources, small steps with what you already have available can lead to greater impact with more students.

Kim Longville is a Special Educator and CDOS Coordinator at Riverside High School, in Yonkers. Her in-school cafe complements the academic coursework she teaches, re-engaging youth who are struggling.