By Himani Hitendra, PRC-Saltillo Blogger
On 4th and 5th March, I attended my first Student Rights Initiative training held by COPAA (Council of Parent, Attorneys, and Advocates) in San Francisco. COPAA is a national peer-to-peer network dedicated to protecting the civil rights of students with disabilities and their parents.
In this training, I got the opportunity to meet and interact with special education attorneys, advocates, and other students with disabilities from across the country. We were given an overview of the special education laws, our rights as students, and introduction to the history of self-advocacy movement. Other topics that were covered were principles of universal design, assessments – cognitive functioning, Executive functioning and Transition Planning. I learned how to be an active member of my IEP (Individualized Education Plan) and advocate for my needs at my IEP meeting. We had self-advocates at the training share their transition plan with us, and helped guide us to make a presentation of our Individual Transition Plan. This training has given me the confidence to be a self-advocate, and empowered me with the knowledge and skills that will help me to achieve my educational goals.
Prior to this, I had attended my IEP meeting only once, and introduced myself briefly to my team. However, now I will be an active participant of my IEP, and share with them the accommodations I need to access my education.
I would encourage my fellow AAC users to consider being actively involved in their IEP. This will be an important step in your self advocacy journey.
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Communicators In Action