"I am a Native Washingtonian and live in Ward 4. I went to Eastern Senior High School and I am a mother of four. I have two stepchildren who have graduated and two biological children, Asar, 11, and Zavier, 7. Asar attends Commonwealth Academy and Zavier attends Yu-Ying Public Charter School. Asar and Zavier both have autism spectrum disorder and while they have their moments, they are a complete joy for me. Children with autism “stem” which means they really focus on learning everything about one thing. As a result of “stemming”, I have learned A LOT about dinosaurs, power rangers, and cats. Needless to say, we have a lot of fun.

I work as a Health Insurance Specialist with the Health and Human Services Department, but I am also an entrepreneur. I call myself a Confident Parent Strategist. Whether it’s understanding an IEP, student behavior, family dynamics, time management, college preparation, or really understanding your child’s diagnosis, I try to give information in the simplest and most digestible way possible. I currently have a podcast where I share new tips every day and am an Amazon bestseller for my book Not My Child.

Fun fact: We love sci-fi and anime!"
   

"When my daughter was not offered a placement at her desired school in the 9th grade, she was devastated. She was falling behind in school and had started showing signs of needing a psychological evaluation, but up until this moment I had always deferred to her teachers. It was around this time that my younger son Asar was also being identified for needing special education. When I was given my son’s diagnosis, it was scientific and unrelatable. But when I found a mom’s blog about the diagnosis, I saw my son. They were right. And he knew it too.

I had to be honest with myself. You’re vulnerable when you admit what you don’t know, but it is more hurtful when you shut down and don’t advocate. I realized the more I knew, the more I participated. I take notes, go to conferences, and research websites. No one ever stopped to ask if I understood what was going on. But as I understood more, I was better able to advocate for the services my son needed. Above all, I recognized the power of alternatives and becoming a team. I understood that while they might be special education teachers, that scope is large. I had to understand that they weren’t trying to hide information, they just might not be an expert in what my child specifically needs. But together, we can be. I welcome teachers into his team and his reality.

I found PAVE because I was looking for an organization to help me advocate. I like being an advocate and I believe all parents are advocates. The only thing they are missing is confidence and knowledge. I like that PAVE is empowering parents and providing parents with information because once you have both, no one can take it away from you."
   

"What I love is that Special Education applies to everyone. Currently, my children with autism are learning how to be empathetic. But in reality teaching kids how to identify and express what they feel is something all kids need. My kids just happen to have a diagnosis and need it more. Some parents don’t want their kid to be labeled. But you have to know, Special Education is not just for kids with a diagnosis, it is for everyone. All kids need something a little different.

I am excited to see PAVE start a Special Education PLE board because I love when parents are given the resources that allow them to confidently advocate for their children. Parents are the constant in their children lives and are able to identify what is not working for their child as they progress in school. My mission is to ensure they have the resources to advocate from a place of love and law – and I can’t wait to do this alongside other parents!

In a system with a long-standing history of underserving students with special needs, it is absolutely critical that we advocate for and prioritize these students. A student with special needs is not any less capable or deserving of a high-quality education, and we must ensure that our education system reflects this."

Come together with fellow parent leaders to share your story, learn more about PAVE, and help us think about how a Special Education PLE Board can create a better future for ALL our students. Contact us at organizers@dcpave.org or (202) 677-9412 to get involved now!