Our Students Have Strong Emotions Right Now, And That’s Not a Disability

When a local newspaper featured a picture of one of our students at a peaceful protest against police brutality, the staff at the small special…

Reopening Schools While Coronavirus Is Still on the Loose Is Ass-Backward

I swear this country is ass-backward. In last week’s Senate hearing, Dr. Anthony Fauci—the nation’s leading expert on the coronavirus pandemic—said outright, “… states will…

Students With Disabilities Deserve More During Distance Learning

At Alliance College-Ready Public Schools (Alliance) in Los Angeles, when we say that all scholars can learn and achieve, we mean all. That’s why, in…

My Son Cracked the Code in an Atypical Way With a Focus on Phonics

When my three older children learned to read, it seemed to us as natural a process as learning to talk. We read to them every…

No, It’s Not OK to Leave My Child Behind, Even in a National Crisis

As a disability advocate and a parent of a child with autism, I’m hearing stories from other parents of children with autism that break my…

I Learned How to Fight for My Child When He Couldn’t Read. Now I Help Other Parents Do the Same.

Advocating for your own kid, or teaching other people—doctors, dentists, teachers, etc.—about your kid, is something you learn as you go along. Even if you…

Don’t Let Them Fool You: The FCC Has Done Nothing New to Connect Kids

They almost had me. After weeks and weeks of working and fighting for the FCC to guarantee the educational rights of low-income families by compelling…

Here’s What I Suggest Schools Do Now to Support Students Through This Pandemic

This Coronavirus pandemic is truly a life-changing event. It is hard to even compare what we are experiencing to any other time period in American…

Gavin’s Story Shines a Light on the Inequities Special Needs Students Face With Remote Learning

Ten-year-old Gavin Williams is a lively and affectionate youngster who loves to visit museums, experiment with computer-coding and plunge into ocean waves with his boogie-board. …

If You Want to Know What Works for Students With Dyslexia, Ask Them

Imagine you are a mature, intelligent middle-school student who finds it difficult to write anything—numbers or letters—on paper in a way that makes sense. You…