When I was in high school, I met the most amazing five year old. He was smart. He was capable. He was funny. He had Down syndrome, and he was breaking the barriers of inclusion. He changed my entire life, and continues to do so today. I saw the struggles he and his family faced within education because he learned differently. As I went through high school, my heart was on fire to work with students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. That fire has not left.

 

I have worked in 11 schools throughout the State of Delaware in my 15 year career. I have served as a classroom teacher in level C settings (academic, emotional support, and the two combined) for six years total (and counting!). For eight years, I worked as an educational diagnostician where I was able to gain a wealth of knowledge regarding special education from the State-level down to the classroom. I also worked for a year with the State of Delaware within the juvenile detention sector. I've been on all sides of the IEP table and it's hard talking about all of the things this beautiful young learner cannot do... yet.

 

I earned my Doctorate from Wilmington University, with my dissertation focusing on teaching students with autism, and if teachers are truly prepared for our educational shifts. What I've found in my research, and my experiences with families and school staff, is that special education can be messy, scary, and overwhelming. However, it's also thought-proving, a team effort, beautifully changing, and, in the right environments, the most rewarding experience possible.

 

What I have also found is that teachers, parents, and untapped community stakeholders want to help our populations with the most significant needs. However, training side-by-side with teachers, providing education around special education definitions and rights, supporting inside family homes, advocating for the needs of level B and C staff, and connecting with the right services can be tricky to navigate. 

 

That's where I come in!

 

Whether you are just hearing the word special education for the first time as a parent and need help navigating the system, or an administrator who previously taught high school Honors math for 30 years and struggling to help your level B and C staff, I'm the connection to change our mindsets, collaborate, and break boundaries on where special education needs to go! 

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