Personal Advocacy Reflection

                             

A small sacrifice for the school but huge strides for our children!! 
That is what we all said when the principal agreed to let us parents drop our special needs children at the back of the school, where their classrooms were located. The elementary school my son

attended, like most schools, had drop off and pick up in the front of the school.

The problem for me was that my son is orthopedically impaired, wore leg braces and his classroom was in the furthest back corner of the school so at pick up his trek to the front was filled with meltdowns and drops because his braces were full of sand from the playground and irritating him (another story for another time), not to mention he is very sensory which added to his meltdowns and drops because his braces were full of sand from the playground and irritating him (another story for another time), not to mention he is very sensory which added to his discomfort.

I began to observe the other specials needs children and saw their parents having difficulty with them as well for different reasons, so I reached out to them to inquire about it. They told me their stories and I suggested we all get together, go to the principal and see if he would allow us to drop off and pick up our children at the back of the school. We, as a group gave him our reasons, and he agreed. This made such a big impact on not only the parents but the kids as well. Parents could walk their own child to class, helping them to feel more comfortable, and it empowered me to not be afraid to speak up to get the things our children deserve. I also feel it showed the other parents that when we come together as a whole, positive changes can happen.