Living through the pandemic is what my life is like living with lupus. A small part of me is relieved that so many people are living the way I have been forced to live since 2011. I know it is selfish, but this is the first time, in a long […]
An Open Apology To My Stomach
Published on :A letter of apology to my stomach: Today, I started my regular self-hate against you, my stomach, as I tried, and failed, to fit into my shorts from last summer. As I was berating you verbally, by calling you “gross, fat stomach,” I noticed that my arms were circled around, […]
My 7-Year-Old Helped Frame Her IEP Goals
Published on :Having a child with a disability, and becoming disabled myself, has put me through a boot-camp that prepared me for the war for quality services for folks with disabilities. I had to learn a new language (so many acronyms!), preferred labels, federal laws, state laws, service providers, what is an […]
Untitled Saoer Project
Published on :“The most powerful ancestor you have is your mother’s mother.” unknown Story of Saretha and ShaRhonda I’m in the hospital now. It’s 2:22 on August 31st, 2019. I received a full hysterectomy less than 12 hours ago. I’m doing surprisingly well, considering all the different ways this could have gone […]
Children With Disabilities Have Civil Rights, Too
Published on :When we think of legally segregated and unequal schools, we usually think of the Jim Crow system of “Black and White” schools. Most of us know from our social studies classes, that the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregating children by race was unconstitutional and that there were no […]
Drop Your Assumptions About Kids With Special Needs and Their Families
Published on :As a parent of a child with special needs, I pay a lot of money to provide the services that she needs to be successful in school. A lot. A lot of money, and energy, and time, and lawyers, and researching, and fighting schools, and feeling like I don’t know […]
Fellow Black Parents, It’s Time to Break the Silence About Our Kids With Disabilities
Published on :My mom and society have taught me that it is rude to offer advice when no one asks for it. But Black folks aren’t talking about disabilities with each other, and that silence is negatively affecting our children. And, while many of us in the Black community are too ashamed and afraid […]
Drop Your Assumptions About Kids With Special Needs and Their Families
Published on :As a parent of a child with special needs, I pay a lot of money to provide the services that she needs to be successful in school. A lot. A lot of money, and energy, and time, and lawyers, and researching, and fighting schools, and feeling like I don’t know […]
With the Right Team of Adults Behind Her, My Autistic Child Is Killing It at School
Published on :Nationwide, health coverage for autism-related services is seriously lacking. In my home state of Illinois, advocates are pushing newly elected Governor Pritzker to expand Medicaid coverage for early intervention therapies for children with autism. Research shows that early intervention can make a remarkable difference in children’s academic outcomes. This was also the case in […]
Do We Have to Call in the National Guard to Protect the Civil Rights of Students With Disabilities?
Published on :The question must be asked: What do we have to do to get school districts to follow the law and give students who are disabled the services they are legally entitled to receive? I’ll give you an example. Chicago Public Schools was illegally limiting access to special education services in an […]