I have discovered that my real passion is systems advocacy. That is, trying to make the laws, programs, systems and funding better for our kids. I will say, that for right now, for me to be able to do this is a luxury. And what I mean by that is, my own personal situation is…
In a post I did yesterday, I highlighted a bit of history from the Disability Rights movement and how we got to where we are today. I didn’t go into much detail about Pennsylvania, Pennhurst and the role that Pennsylvania parents had on the movement. Families in Pennsylvania really played a strong and crucial role…
This is a day I have been dreading. I have been dreading it ever since he announced he was not going to run again in the November, 2014 elections. If you follow my blog, you know that I am a huge fan of Senator Harkin. He has long been a champion for people with disabilities…
I haven’t even begun to do all the posts from our summer travels, but I’m going to start. Earlier this summer, we traveled out west and visited the National Parks, some Navajo sites (like Monument Valley) and one of our day trips was Best Friends Animal Society. I thought that I would first write about…
Author’s note: I was feeling very sentimental about this experience so I wanted to republish it for Thoughtful Thursday. Never doubt what our kids can do! This event took place in April of 2012. As a blogger, I network with dozens and dozens of other bloggers in all blogging genres. Yesterday, a mom who is a…
Like many parents, while my kids are young I am trying to introduce them to a variety of extra-curricular activities. It can be tough when your child has additional physical and mental challenges. K’s motor planning is pretty poor and his processing is slow. That pretty much means any sport or activity that involves a…
This is a really fun and exciting project from the folks over at Sesame Workshop. On World Autism Day, last week, they announced that they are starting a new initiative called “See the amazing in all children” and will focus on children who have autism. If you’ve been watching Sesame Street since the 1970s like…
Author’s note: I republish this post every year. So the dates and activities listed may not be current. The sentiments are the same. It’s November 14, again. Comes every year, huh? November 14 is the anniversary of my niece’s death. It was 2008. I remember the month preceding it like it just happened. I remember…
Today I testified before our state’s Special Education Funding Commission. This group of individuals has been charged with the responsibility of evaluating the special ed process in Pennsylvania, how it works, how it’s funded, the funding itself and so on. They want to hear from parents and citizens about their experiences with Special Education in…