2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
3/04/2019 | 2:50 PM - 3:15 PM | Tales from the Trenches: Real Life Educational Advocacy Stories | Malpensa
Tales from the Trenches: Real Life Educational Advocacy Stories
This session designed by parents, for parents! Ohio Hands & Voices and Michigan Hands & Voices both run successful educational advocacy programs for parents and families. Through our work with parents, we know that parents are helping other parents all the time, either through informal conversations in the school parking lot or through more formal assistance, such as sit down meetings over coffee or dinner. With that in mind, this session will share other parents real-life experiences and their personal advocacy efforts.
Our presenters will facilitate and share with you three different advocacy stories from families we have worked with and the families’ advocacy efforts and results of their advocacy. Each family will represent a different advocacy need. Presenters will share real-life advocacy stories as case studies for participants to learn from. For each case study we will discuss:
The background of the student and advocacy need/request
What the legal stance was that supported the families request and child’s need
What would you do and look for alternate approaches or solutions the parents or IEP team could have used.
What successful advocacy techniques the parents used to ensure their student's needs were met.
Each case will share with you, the ups, the downs, the good, the bad and the ugly, in order to help participants learn from others and ease their advocacy.
- Participants will learn about three laws that can be used when advocating for special education services.
- Participants will learn at least three different advocacy techniques to use when advocating for their child’s needs.
- Participants will learn how to use the initial or three-year evaluation as a foundation for a student’s educational programming needs.
Presentation:
18878_10506TabithaBelhorn.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
18878_10506TabithaBelhorn.rtf
Presenters/Authors
Tabitha Belhorn
(), Ohio Hands & Voices, tbelhorn@gmail.com;
Tabitha Belhorn is a parent of Deaf child. She has worked with families for 13 years, providing resources, guidance, and support to families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She has experience supporting families of children who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, and deaf plus additional disabilities. She is the Executive Director of Ohio Hands & Voices and Ohio ASTra Coordinator. She serves as the Regional Coordinator. Tabitha has presented on a variety of topics such as special education law, educational advocacy, preschool transition, and family support and is a co-author of the Communication Planning Guide for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Janel Frost
(), Michigan Hands & Voices, janelfrost@gmail.com;
Janel Frost is a mother to a 17 year old son who is Deaf Plus. Janel has a BA in Human Services specializing in Child Development, Counseling and Psychology and a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has worked in the Early Education field for the past 25 years. Janel currently works as the acting Director for Michigan Hands & Voices and is the Coordinator for Michigan Hands & Voices ASTra Program. Janel has worked as a Parent Guide for Michigan Hands & Voices’ Guide By Your Side Program for the past 11 years. Janel is passionate about creating and implementing programs and services to help ALL children reach their fullest potentials and loves that she is able to use her educational background, coupled with her personal life experience to work within the Deaf and Hard of Hearing field to create positive change.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -