“Are You Ready To Work?”
At BRIDGED, we know advocacy often begins with one jarring (and unforgettable) moment. For me, it began with Haley.
THE CALL TO WORK
I’ll never forget sending an email the first week Haley started in our local public school district. I thought my concern was an easy fix. It should have been. It could have been.
Turns out . . . it wasn't.
The summer before (2020), my friend Amy had said something that still haunts me. Since her son was a couple years older than Haley, she had already been through the system. When I called to “get the scoop,” her response was, “Are you ready to work?”
I knew what she meant by that.
Amy was asking if I was ready to advocate, speak up and ensure our kids received their legal right of a free appropriate public education.
I thought I was ready. I had been using my voice for years by then. But something about this time felt different. I didn’t know what the issues would be, only that they were coming.
{Spoiler alert: they came. And Amy’s words became a mantra that still gets me out of bed each morning.}
THE HARD YEARS
A lot has happened over the last several years. A lot. Those stories will be told. Someday. Hopefully soon.
They are hard. They are heavy. They are unbelievable.
I have cried, cussed, been sad, felt anger, became depressed and felt anxious. I have created new cuss words. I have experienced trauma to the point where I can't even drive by a certain school without feeling sick. I have been gaslight and lied to. I have been talked about and been misunderstood. I have been isolated and lost friends.
But, guess what? I kept showing up.
And showing up has led to BRIDGED, new friends, inside jokes, small wins, opportunities to share our story, stronger IEPs, credibility, realized dreams, and even systemic change.
Those stories will also be told.
They are good. They are uplifting. They are unbelievable!
A MILESTONE MOMENT
One of those unbelievable stories happened just a couple weeks ago.
Our school district decided to conduct an internal and external review of the special education services . . . and we were offered a seat at the table—a seat that didn't previously exist. That moment was a milestone in our advocacy efforts.
We used that seat to tell stories. Not just our own, but the stories of so many others. This was never just about us.
This was about our chance to collectively raise the voices of every disabled student in our district. All 12,000 of them.
That meeting was the result of nearly a decade of effort: countless meetings, emails, interviews, texts, speeches, and conversations. It was rewarding to finally be heard and to see our district taking steps toward real accountability and change.
THE WORK CONTINUES
As we continue to process that milestone, we also hold onto hope. We are eager to see the final reports from both reviews—and to see who will boldly take the next steps with us.
Because, advocacy is never about one moment.
It’s never about one social media post.
Advocacy is a continual effort of getting out of bed each day and asking yourself, “Are you ready to work?”
I am! Are you?
At BRIDGED, we work daily towards systemic change through our advocacy efforts, parent training and school programs.
We equip and empower parents with knowledge, clarity, and advocacy skills, so they can confidently navigate IEPs and the special education system. To learn more and to sign up for our next parent training, you can click here.
Specifically, we equip K-12 schools with programming to start the conversations about disability. We use empathy, history and hands-on activities to build a bridge between students with and without disabilities. You can learn more about our school programming by clicking here.
