Path to Advocacy

My journey to become a special education advocate was not planned. It all makes sense now, but there’s no way I could have foreseen the long and winding road the experiences with my older daughter Brinkley would lead me down, nor did I realize it would eventually take me to an occupation that brings me such satisfaction and hope for children with a variety of special needs.

My early career aspirations did not relate to education or special needs kids. I graduated from the University of Virginia in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce majoring in Accounting. I worked professionally as an audit C.P.A. and financial analyst for several years before starting a family as a full-time mom. In 2017 I took the Special Education Advocate Training (SEAT) 2.0 course. Sponsored by the Council of Parents, Advocates, and Attorneys, COPAA’s SEAT 2.0 is the only nationally recognized year-long special education advocacy training program. 

I completed the course and began advocating for client families in January 2019. Every family’s circumstances are unique, and together my clients and I develop advocacy plans designed to help their children grow and be more successful in school. Both personally and professionally, being an advocate has been a wonderfully fulfilling experience. It is gratifying to have found a way to help other families navigate the often-challenging public school special education landscape, like I had to for my own daughter.  

My passion to help parents navigate the special education process stems from the experiences navigating this for my own child for the last two decades. My older daughter, Brinkley, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2004, when she was just two years old. As soon as I knew Brinkley was a person on the spectrum, I worked desperately and tirelessly to both understand her diagnosis and learn what steps I could take to help her succeed. I was determined to provide my child with the most appropriate programs and supports. It became an exhausting full-time job. We tried what seemed like every 3-letter-acronym therapy in the book– ABA, CBT, RDI, DBT—as well as other services and providers from speech to OTs to BCBAs to PhDs. Everything helped, but I also learned that there is no magic wand you can wave that will enable your ASD child to fully understand the social world like a neurotypical child can.

When it was time for Brinkley to begin school, I got my first taste of the public special education system. I prepared extensively for every PPT meeting. I tried to work with the school team and advocate for Brinkley’s specific needs so she could receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to help her learn. With Brinkley, I navigated public, private, and therapeutic residential education options, as I now also have for several of my clients. 

Thankfully, all that hard work paid off, and I am thrilled to share that Brinkley now attends Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and this fall 2024 will start her junior year with a high honors GPA, a small social network, membership in some clubs she enjoys, and an independent lifestyle!

There is no playbook for parenting a child with special needs. I’m glad Brinkley and I are where we are now, but the path we traveled certainly wasn’t an easy one. There have been many bumps, twists and turns along the way.  In surmounting those obstacles, I did the best I could with the knowledge, facts and circumstances I had in each moment. I learned most of what I now know the hard way, but I honestly believe that makes me a better person– and a terrific special education advocate. I can empathetically look my clients in the eye and say, “I understand. I’ve been where you are. I’ve felt the same frustration and pain. And I can help!”