Special Education and Advocacy Plus

The time to start thinking about the Transition to Adulthood is Yesterday. Womp womp! I'm so sorry! In this episode I'll scare the socks off of you... Just kidding! But we'll talk about things to *think* about NOW, no matter you child's age, which will help you prepare them for adulthood. You'll hear a story about my own dinner table that prompted the idea for this episode, too!

In today's episode we talk about six things I think you should have, know, analyze, and ask prior to writing annual IEP goals. The list is short, simple, and definitely not intimidating, but it will undoubtedly make a big difference in your next IEP meeting.

Inclusion is probably the special education topic for which I'm hired as an attorney the most often. It's definitely the topic about which my network calls for help. Several years ago, I started recording myself while talking to advocates and attorneys about inclusion, because as I talked to them I'd sometimes come up with efficient, wise statements that were helpful in advocacy. Eventually I took all of that content and made one of my favorite resources, The Inclusion Workshop. In today's episode I walk you through the parts of the Inclusion Workshop in case that's a resource that may benefit your family or community. As a special bonus, you even get to hear one of Jack's meltdowns!!!

Wouldn't it be amazing if you had someone else to build your IEP Binder? Fill-in-the-blank guides to communicate with your school, the straight and narrow on legal and educational topics, and tutorials on navigating things like inclusion and behavior interventions are coming your way in the ABClub IEP Binder! In today's episode I walk you through some of the resources I have to help you build your binder! Looking to get organized this summer? I got you!

My Facebook memories have been making me feel guilty as of late. Now that I'm elbow deep in Science of Reading and Orton Gillinghma, I watch some of the things I used to do with Jack and cringe. In today's episode I talk to you a little about our past in reading and then offer the solution of decodable readers. I hope this helps you make your summer work effective and simply better!!!

Transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/MnsAP72LUow

At this year's COPAA conference I met attorney, Lisa Hernandez, at the coffee bar, and in about 3 sentences, she blew my mind on the topic of employment of people with disabilities. I took her card and invited her on the podcast immediately! If your kid is transition-aged (yes, that's ALL of you in my opinion), you're going to LOVE thinking about employment through this lens. Lisa continued to enlighten me throughout this episode, and I think I'll go back and listen to it again with you all to make sure I totally retain everything she's shared with us! It's just that good!

Transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/M2KFRAHbFbL

Lisa A. Hernandez is Counsel at Smith Eibeler, LLC. Lisa practices plaintiff-side employment law, representing individuals in all aspects of employment law and litigation, including claims of unlawful termination and discrimination, sexual harassment and whistle-blower retaliation. Lisa also leads the firm’s education law practice, helping families and students with disabilities navigate special education disputes, school-based accommodations, and transition planning to prepare students for employment and independent living.

Today we wrap up the COPAA series with a really great conversation with David Jefferson, the President of the Board of Directors. David's journey to advocacy from the corporate world is super interesting and relatable, and you'll learn how he built a large advocacy business in a few short years. David's got a heart for advocacy - and the right tools to get results for his clients. If you've ever thought about advocacy, this episode is for you!!!!

Transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/k7Y2sB9pQMo

David Jefferson (Arizona) -  As a parent of special needs children, David understands and appreciates all of the difficulties parent’s face as they try and navigate the special education maze.  David formed Parent Support Arizona to ensure parents have a local resource and the tools they need to ensure their children’s educational needs are met. Over the past few years, David has sought administrative remedies through the State Department of Education, Office of Administrative Hearings OCR and FERPA.  David uses these experiences to provide civil rights advocacy, educational advocacy, parent training and represent parents in IDEA due process hearings in the State of Arizona.  In addition he offers self-help tools and resources that allow parents to advocate for themselves and on an equal footing with schools as they advocate for their children’s rights.

If you've ever wanted to crawl inside my brain to have a conversation on special education advocacy, law, and practice, here's your chance. Amy Bonn, consulting attorney, with COPAA, speaks. my. language. Amy and I have a hearty conversation about our jobs as special education attorneys, and it's just too good! Sometimes while I record with guests, I write down the time that a particular quote happens or a quote itself. I had to stop writing on this one, because I'd filled two big Post Its!!!! Tune in for All Things SPED Law and Advocacy today!

Amy Bonn, Esq. - Amy is a Nebraska attorney providing legal representation to families of children with disabilities in special education matters. Amy is a summa cum laude graduate of Creighton University School of Law, where she was a member of the board of editors of the Creighton Law Review. She is licensed to practice in state and federal courts in Nebraska.

Amy is also a proud parent of children with developmental disabilities. She completed a ten-month traineeship in disability advocacy and leadership at the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, where her research focus was on parental advocacy in special education.

Today we roll out a new series on the podcast called COPAA Conversations by chatting with Denise Marshall, the CEO of the Council of Parents, Attorneys, and Advocates. COPAA’s mission is to protect and enforce the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families. The organization offers trainings, an amazing conference, public policy work, legal assistance, really effective committees, and more! It's seriously my one-stop shop for information and community in my work. Denise and I chat about all things COPAA in this episode, and of course, we dive into some of our favorite advocacy tools and ideas! I hope you'll join us and check out COPAA!

Transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/Tx38ehX5c7M

Denise Stile Marshall, M.S. -  Denise has led the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) since 2005. She  graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Master of Science in Applied Behavioral Science. Denise has over 40 years’ experience in the field of disabilities in a variety of support, management, and advocacy capacities. She has a wealth of non-profit association management experience and is a dynamic trainer, experienced in leading sessions for participants of diverse abilities and experience levels. Prior to becoming the CEO of COPAA Denise was the Director of Training and Educational Outreach for the national organization TASH from 1995-2005, the Program Manager and trainer for Maryland Leaders in Disability Policy; and a Positive Behavior Support specialist and Director of the National Training Center for The Kennedy Krieger Institute in Maryland among other consulting and management positions.  Denise's specific areas of interest are civil right to quality education, positive behavioral supports, prevention and reduction in the use of restraints, abolishment of seclusion and aversive techniques, family supports, grassroots advocacy, self-advocacy, and experiential learning.  Denise and her husband are the parents of two children and have three grandchildren, one of whom has Down syndrome.

Ever feel like you need to up the ante on your Negotiation but feel stuck in how to do that? How about a tool that psychologists use to help people get to the root of their own struggles? In today's episode we're going to dive a little deeper into a concept I call "Tactical Empathy," and we'll work on validating the emotions of all of the people at the IEP table. For some people this is super intuitive. For others it isn't, which is okay, because there are a few things you can do to change the vibe of a meeting in a snap!!!