Why Are School Vouchers and School Choice Bad? Lots of Reasons.
You don’t find failing public schools and charter schools in wealthy neighborhoods.
IEP parent
What are Age-Appropriate Interests for a Developmentally Disabled or Autistic Adult?
Autism and Age-Appropriate Interests “Who gets to decide what is an age-appropriate interest for a disabled or autistic child?” This is an issue that has…
My IEP is Not Working (what to do next)
How do I know if the IEP is working? Your child getting an IEP is not the final step in your IEP journey. It is…
IEP Transition Goals Bank: Developing Meaningful Goals beyond “Food, Filth and Flowers.”
Parents, you need to take ownership of the IEP transition goals and process for your child. Here’s how to start.
I Don’t Need You to Tell Me How to Feel about Parenting a Disabled Child.
Parenting a Disabled Child This might be the biggest decision you’ll ever make as a parent. I’m talking about the decision to be happy. No,…
The IEP Team Met Without Me!
The IEP Team had a Meeting without You. Let’s be honest, not everyone fully understands the IEP process and what it entails. It’s a complicated…
The Many Flaws of School FBAs and Behavior Plans
FBAs and Behavior Plans FBAs and Behavior Plans are a common component of IEPs. And, after 12 years of advocacy, I’m seeing the same issues…
Dear IEP Team, Let’s Talk about Trust.
One Mom’s Perspective of the IEP Process. I have always made clear that my interest is in my child, his well-being, and his functioning on…
The Extraordinary Burden of IEPs on Moms.
The Extraordinary Burden of IEPs on Moms “Is it getting worse?” I sighed. Then nodded. “It is.” I was at lunch with a local administrator….
Ableism and Autism | When Autism Moms are the Worst Ableist Parents
Ableism and Ableist Autism Moms I am just steamed this morning. Nothing like waking up to see 250k special needs moms being ableist and wallowing…
Why Every Parent Should Get Involved in Special Education Lobbying | IDEA Re-Authorization
Citizen and Parent Advocacy I think we’re in this for the long haul. I wrote this right after the 2016 election, in hopes of inspiring…
The Battle Fatigue of Disability Parenting.
Special Needs Mom Burnout On Tuesday, when my son came home from school, his newly revised IEP was in his backpack. All 54 pages of…
How To Write a Parent Concerns Letter for your IEP that Gets Noticed | Templates
How to Write IEP Parent Concerns. I’m going to wag my finger at you–from this day forward, you do a Parent Concerns Letter for your…
8 Ways the Special Education System Really is Stacked Against Parents.
8 Ways the Special Education System Really is Stacked Against Parents. The special education system is stacked against parents. It’s not your imagination. It is…
Perfect Attendance Awards | 8 Reasons why they’re Garbage.
Perfect Attendance Awards Perfect attendance awards are a terrible idea. I get it–I get why they were developed. To encourage kids with chronic absenteeism to…
I’m tired of talking about my son’s health.
I know they mean well. People. They ask. But the holiday season just ended and I.am.exhausted. Mentally, not physically. Emotionally. My son has significant health…
It’s OK to ask us about my son’s disabilities. No, really, it is.
Questions about Disability A few weeks ago, my younger son (non-disabled) had a friend over to play. We’ve known this family for about 6 months….
7 Things ALL Schools need to STOP doing, right now.
Public Education Reform I call myself a Public Education supporter. I advocate, I lobby, I educate myself on the issues. Public education benefits our society,…
13 Questions to Ask School Board Candidates | IEP | Special Education
Questions for School Board Candidates “I’d go, but what would I ask?” I always encourage IEP parents to attend candidate forums. But that is the…
Parents, Before you go to the News Media with your IEP issues….
You should tell the media about this! It’s a really common piece of IEP advice. And, I get it. Our kids are treated horribly sometimes….
{Educational Surrogate Parents} What, Why and How to become one.
Become an IEP Educational Surrogate Have you heard of being an IEP educational surrogate parent? Many times parents ask me how they can give back…
Hey IEP Moms! You complain too much!
Hey, Special Needs Moms-You complain too much! Really, you do. I mean, c’mon already. Aren’t you tired of all the complaining? I am. No, really,…
One Mom’s IEP Battle, and What She Discovered.
The Special Education Battle. I woke up this morning and put my armor on. I am weary and broken, but there is still a war…
Do we need to change the way we introduce our disabled children?
How do you introduce your Disabled Child? Do you know what an elevator pitch is? I attend lots of workshops for bloggers and PR stuff,…
Me too. {and more importantly, them too~learn about sexual abuse and disabled students)
Me too. You’ve seen this, right? The “me too” campaign going on right now in social media? If you’ve been sexually harassed, you’re to put…
Gee, we can have your crumbs? Thanks for nothing, Chuck E Cheese. {my rant about their sensory time offerings)
Ah, Sunday mornings. I love them. I often try to feed my dogs later and let them out later than usual on Saturday evenings, so…
Are you a disability tourist?
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi. I’m taking a year long training program to become a Certified Special…
The PARC Decree and the most under utilized disabilities resource in PA.
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…
{Thoughtful Thursday} and someone gets to come in last place
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…
my submitted testimony for the Special Education Funding Commission
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…
Meeting the Governor for signing of HB 2
It’s hard to believe, but over two months have passed since I went with my boys and Kevin’s TSS over to Bucks County for the…
Our day in Harrisburg lobbying for SB 1115~Special Education Funding Reform
Yesterday was such an exciting day for me and Kevin. We were invited to join the Education Law Center and Arc of PA in Harrisburg…
Letter to editor regarding Pennhurst
Most of you have already seen this Letter to the Editor that I wrote to the Daily Local. I’m putting this on here more for…
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