What's In Store at Wrightslaw?
Special Ed Law & Advocacy Training (6.5 hrs)
25% Off the Wrightslaw Bundle of 4 PRINT books for $58.35 (Sorry, coupons not accepted on this product)
Includes Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Ed., Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, 2nd Ed., Wrightslaw: All About IEPs and Wrightslaw: All About Tests and Assessments, 2nd Ed.
New! The Wrightslaw Bundle is now available as an immediate PDF download. All four Wrightslaw books as PDFs for just $49.95!
Success Story:
How I Learned to Get Services by Asking Questions
When I began to advocate for my daughter, I felt insecure. Because I felt insecure, I supported my requests with tons of documentation --articles, reports and recommendations from experts, test results, and information about specialized equipment.
I was calm, polite, and in control.
I was surprised when the "powers that be" would not provide the services and supports that I requested for my daughter.
Question: How Do They Perceive Me?
Why
was I having this problem? What could I do?
When I thought about it, it seemed that whenever I made a request, the
educational experts viewed me as a “Know it All Parent” who
thought she knew more about my child's needs than they did.
I realized that they felt threatened.
Now when I go to an IEP meeting, I have a mental list of the services and accommodations my child needs. I ask questions so the educators come up with the desired solution, NOT me.
Strategy: Asking Questions to Identify Solutions
My child Susie has a hearing loss. I want Susie to sit near the teacher OR have a speakerphone in the classroom. I won't ask that Susie sit near the teacher or have a speakerphone.
Instead, I will say, "Gee, Susie really loves her teacher, Mrs. Smith. It’s sad that Susie can't hear much that Mrs. Smith says. You know Susie has a hearing loss? (submit medical report) Susie really wants to do well on the new state tests. I wonder what we can do . . .
At this point, someone is likely to say, "Let's have her sit by the teacher" or "Let's get a speakerphone for her."
I say, "That's a wonderful idea. I'm so glad you thought of it."
Strategy: Saying "Thank You"
I
thank the team members for letting Susie sit near Mrs. Smith, the teacher
she likes so much. I know this sounds crazy but I found it works most
of the time.
Educators/experts are happy when THEY come up with the way to meet the
child’s needs! Sometimes they have ideas that I had not considered
either! I
decided it doesn’t matter who comes up with the solution as long
as my child's needs are met.
Last year, we moved to a new school district in a different part of the state. We had a "clean slate." I had a chance to try out my techniques with a new group of educators. I gave them my child’s IEP and told them about the equipment our former school used (the former school was willing to sell the stuff to them).
I
could tell them everything they needed to know about my daughter but until
they met her and got to know her for themselves, I was just another "yappy"
parent.
I learned another lesson: our children often win over people on their
own!
IEP Day: My Child Has Many Advocates
When IEP day came, many more people were advocating for my daughter than I could imagine. I sat there feeling stunned, not saying much.
I
heard, "We need to base her services on what she needs, NOT the availability
of a TVI (Teacher of the Visually Impaired)" and "We need to
have some training in this area" and "We need to order these
Braille books immediately."
They had already purchased equipment from the old school – it was
sitting on the table!
When I meet or talk with school staff, I explain that my daughter needs access to the general curriculum. She must have instructional materials in Braille, services from a teacher of the visually impaired, and orientation and mobility instruction.
I also explain that she wants to be like other kids. I do not expect the school to do cartwheels just for her! When they realized that I did not want to break their budget or create unnecessary extra work for them, they have been great. I can honestly say that I don't feel that I am at odds with them! (But I still don’t let down my guard completely.)
I look at it this way: If an educator came into my home and told me how to decorate my rooms and what color to paint my walls, I would not be very happy!
I
can’t say that everything has been smooth sailing – we have
had some glitches in getting some things in place for next year. But I
think this is the case whenever people with different interests work together
for a common goal.
Parents need to figure out how to get the educators to come up with what
our children need. My strategies are one approach. I'll bet other parents
have ideas too!
It's sort of silly when you think about it -- like a game!
From
Wrightslaw
You're right, it is like a game. And you hit a home run!
If a parent demands a specific service or support, this generally ensures
that the school will not provide that service or support.
After
you struck out, you thought about what went wrong at these meetings. You
thought about how you were perceived by school people (a Know-it-All or
"yappy parent). You understood that if you took over the role of
"Expert," you would take over the educators' role.
If school people feel threated or disrespected by you, they will look
for a way to shoot you down. This is not about special education - it's
human nature.
Many parents do not understand these issues. Since many parents feel insecure in their dealings with school people, it's hard for them to put their egos on the back burner.
In our book, Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, we identify obstacles to healthy parent-school relationships and provide strategies that you can use to tackle these obstacles. Learn how to use "5 W's + H + E" questions, deal with difficult people, use a parent agenda, write letters that clarify issues, and more. Table of Contents Reviews Orders
Do
You Have a Success Story?
Do
you have a success story or advocacy strategy that you want to share?
We are collecting stories about successful advocacy from parents and other advocates. We will post some of these Success stories on Fetaweb.com, the new parent advocacy site.
If
you are interested in submitting a success story or stategy, please send
an email to: success@wrightslaw.com
In the Subject line of your email, type SUCCESS STORY in all caps. You will receive an autoresponder email that contains details about our submissions policy.
Please do not send an article until after you read and review the Submissions Policy.
Copyright © 1998-2022, Peter W. D. Wright and Pamela Darr Wright. All rights reserved. Contact Us