Dec 3, 2013 | Advocacy, Dads, Disability, IDEA Information, Identification, Invisible Disabilities, Parent Involvement, Public School, Special Education |
Perhaps one of the hardest things to get the public, general educators and, in some instances, parents to understand and accept are the disabilities that are not obvious. Statistically ten percent of the population has an invisible disability. (What Are Invisible...
Nov 25, 2013 | Advocacy, Dads, Disability, Emotion, Fathers, Florida, IDEA Information, IEPs, Least Restrictive Environment, Parent Involvement, Public School, Self Determination, Special Education |
Along with successes come mistakes, for that is how we learn. It is difficult to understand good unless you have experienced bad, right without wrong. This never happens with isolation and segregation that restricts and limits exposure to life. It is not only...
Nov 11, 2013 | Advocacy, Dads, Disability, Emotion, Fathers, Florida, IDEA Information, IEPs, Inclusion, Least Restrictive Environment, Parent Involvement, Parents Training Parents, Public School, Self Determination, Special Education |
Creating dependencies on others to do what all parents are capable of doing for themselves is such a disservice to families. Is the person calling themselves a parent advocate qualified to act on behalf of others? Everyone should be an advocate for children but...
Oct 30, 2013 | Advocacy, Dads, Emotion, Fathers, Florida, IDEA Information, IEPs, Parent Involvement, Public School, Special Education |
Imagine an IEP meeting where everyone is in agreement. A meeting where the only time money is mentioned is when the group thanks you for buying the snacks you brought with you. Imagine a meeting where you feel good about your child being part of the school he or she...
Oct 14, 2013 | Advocacy, Emotion, IDEA Information, Parent Involvement, Procedural Safeguards, Public School, Special Education |
Many years ago I created what I call Mr. Hawke’s top ten. I think they still hold true today and felt compelled to share them once again. Reflections of the ESE Policeman 1) The first step of the journey requires dealing with a myriad of emotions one experiences when...
Sep 19, 2013 | Disability, IDEA Information, IEPs, IFSP, Parent Involvement, Parents Training Parents, Public School, Special Education |
It was now time to set the plan in motion. Initially we met monthly throughout the school year. I selected three staff we called PEERs, Parent Educator Exception Resources, from the pool of the training teams. Two of those PEERs were bilingual, to meet the need of...