Empowered 2 Advocate

In this episode of the Empowered to Advocate podcast, Michelle and Dana Marie discuss the essential green flags to look for in a well-written Individualized Education Plan (IEP). They emphasize the importance of student-centered language, effective goal setting, and the inclusion of both student and parent voices. The conversation also covers the need for a balanced approach to addressing various...

In this episode of the Empowered to Advocate podcast, Michelle and Dana Marie discuss the importance of parental involvement in IEP meetings as the school year begins. They outline five key reasons why parents should actively participate in these meetings, emphasizing legal rights, understanding their child's needs, accountability, consistency between home and school, and the role of parents i...

In this episode of the Empowered 2 Advocate Podcast, Dana Marie and Michelle discuss the purpose and structure of their office hours service, aimed at supporting parents navigating the special education process. They outline common topics addressed during these sessions, including: understanding IEPs placement decisions evaluations compensatory services effective communication strategies with scho...

It's the time of year again: Back to School time! In this episode of the Empowered 2 Advocate Podcast, Michelle and Dana Marie discuss the transition back to school, focusing on the mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety that parents and educators experience. They provide three key strategies for parents to prepare: reflecting on the previous school year, getting organized with necessary pap...

In this episode of the Empowered to Advocate podcast, Dana Marie and Michelle welcome Michael Pereira, founder of Autism Voyage, who shares his journey as a parent of a child with autism and his transition into financial planning for special needs families. Michael discusses the importance of early intervention, the challenges of navigating the system, and the critical need for financial planning...

In this episode of the Empower to Advocate podcast, Dana Marie and Michelle discuss the origins and importance of Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals. They emphasize the need for these goals to be personalized and based on data reflecting a child's current abilities. The conversation covers how to evaluate the effectiveness of IEP goals, the importance of progress monitoring, and the...

In this episode of the Empowered to Advocate podcast, Michelle and Dana Marie discuss the challenges parents face during IEP meetings, particularly the pressure to make immediate decisions. They provide strategies for navigating these situations, emphasizing the importance of asking questions, understanding one's rights, and taking the necessary time to make informed decisions. The conversatio...

In this episode of the Empower to Advocate podcast, Dana Dana Marie and Michelle discuss the complexities of understanding evaluations in special education. They provide insights into how parents can navigate lengthy reports, focusing on key areas to look for, ensuring accuracy, and decoding testing scores. The conversation emphasizes the importance of being informed and proactive in advocating fo...

Join in the conversation! Comment what you're leaving in 2024 and what your bringing into 2025 in the comments or over on instagram @empowered2advocate! ------------ In this episode of the Empowered 2 Advocate Podcast, Michelle and Dana Marie discuss the transition into 2025, focusing on what to leave behind from 2024 and what to embrace in the new year as special education advocates. They emphasi...

In this episode of the Empowered to Advocate podcast, Dana Marie and Michelle discuss their return to the podcast after a long break, sharing updates on their professional lives and the evolution of their advocacy work. They emphasize their commitment to empowering parents and caregivers in the special education process, highlighting their unique perspectives gained from returning to the classroom...

In this episode, Michelle discusses Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). She clarifies the purpose and implementation of RTI, emphasizing its role in preventing academic struggles and providing valuable information for determining eligibility for special education. Michelle explains the three tiers of support in RTI and the importance of evidence-based instruc...

In this episode, Dana Marie answers some questions from listeners and followers. She talks about: OSEP: The Office of Special Education Programs Reevaluation Meetings Becoming a Special Education Advocate Being prepared for an initial eligibility meeting and more! All About OSEP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kprl6bYcnGU

Summary In this episode, Michelle and Dana reintroduce themselves and share their backgrounds and experiences in special education. They discuss their passion for supporting parents and caregivers, as well as their approach to advocacy, which focuses on collaboration and conversation. They emphasize the importance of breaking down barriers to information and promoting a student-centered approach i...

Summary In this episode, Dana Marie and Michelle discuss the importance of well-written goals in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). They highlight the need for goals to drive services and placement, as well as the role of goals in measuring student progress. Michelle and Dana Marie provide guidance on crafting effective goals, including considering the current performance level, making goal...

In this episode, Dana Marie interviews Amy Flores-Young of Flo Yo Travel.  Amy Flores Young (FloYo) is the founder of FloYo Travel and the creator of the IMPACT Retreat Roadmap. Amy is a specialist in planning travel for those with disabilities and chronic health needs. Not only does Amy have over 30 years experience in assisting those with disabilities, she is also the parent of a severely disabl...

In this episode, Dana Marie and Michelle discuss what happens after a child is found eligible for special education. They provide guidance and information on various aspects of the IEP and special education process, including the initial eligibility meeting, developing the IEP, annual reviews, progress reports, communication with the school, rejecting consent for services, and requesting evaluatio...

In this episode, Michelle and Dana Marie discuss the importance of transition planning in the IEP process. They emphasize the need to start transition planning early, especially for middle school students, and highlight the connection between a student's vision for their future and the skills they need to develop. The hosts also address the challenges faced in middle school transition planning...

Buckle in for the third and final part of the Empowered 2 Advocate special 3 episode series about school behavior and discipline! Be sure to go back and listen to the first episodes in this series if you have not already listened! In this episode we discuss: Informal removals: what does this mean? Why are they problematic? Is it ok to have the school requesting you pick your child up early? What h...

Whew! There are a TON of abbreviations, acronyms and just fancy lingo that is specialized to the world of education that gets tossed around at meetings and on the internet. For parents (and even educators!) this can become confusing, overwhelming and make it super challenging to fully participate in your child's meetings and conversations. In this part 2 of our 3 part series on behavior, we ar...

In this first episode of a series on behavior, school discipline, and the rights of children with disabilities Dana Marie brings listeners through 5 Frequently Asked Questions we receive as advocates and parent coaches. She shares some tangible next steps with parents and caregivers who may be wondering: what to do if your child is experiencing challenging behaviors but is not on an IEP. what to d...

A question form parents that has comes fairly regularly is "my child's teacher or service provider is out on leave or the position is open and my child is not receiving their services. What do we do?" And this a tough one because of the teacher shortage and the challenges school districts are having hiring and retaining high quality staff for our students, especially post-pandemic. E...

Wondering how an advocate can help you and you child in school? A comprehensive record review, either as part of an on-going advocacy relationship (i.e.: attending meetings, ghost writing, completing observations, etc) or as a stand alone support service is so beneficial for caregivers to be able: to identify gaps in their child's documents and services that may be impacting your child's p...

If you are a parent or caregiver of a child on an IEP it is likely that you have heard that term "effective progress" many times. It is one of the ways a team determines if a child is eligible for special education and a way to monitor how the child is doing once they are receiving the support of an IEP. But what is it really and how do you know if your child is actually making progress?...

Thank you for listening! In this episode we talk all about self care. We discuss: small things you can do to care for yourself while also caring for a child or children with a disability locating your local SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) looking to local organizations for parent and caregiver support groups and networking events finding community online Empowered 2 Advocate'...

Welcome back to season 3 of the Empowered 2 Advocate Podcast! If you are tuning into this episode then you probably have a child that is returning to school this fall - and you might be having anxiety about where their IEP process was left in the spring or concerned about how extended school year went this summer. Our biggest piece of advice is to try to not panic and reframe this as an opportunit...