Finally, Angela posted this on her Facebook page:
"I'm on my flight home and I'm reflecting on the past couple of days in Louisville where Sarah and I were part of an incredible panel presentation that we shared with our secondary transition team partners at the State Department of Education, Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and three of our school district special education directors (Lake Pend Oreille, Nampa, and Idaho Falls #91.)
We have an amazing team and we have partnered and collaborated for several years now on improving transition to adulthood systems for all students with disabilities. While I know that not every state has such great partnerships, I was struck by how many people at the conference either didn't know who their Parent Training and Information Centers were or, if they did, they groaned and rolled their eyes.
That's why I said last night that we have work to do. PTIs are a tremendous resource to families but we also must be a resource to teachers, administrators, special education directors, physicians, clinicians, and other related services professionals. Yes, there is a time and place for resolving disputes that escalate to higher levels but how that happens makes all the difference in the world. If we as parent centers are viewed as adversarial and people don't want to partner with us, we're sure not going to be as effective in our work as I believe we could be.
I'm so very grateful for the relationships we've built and continue to build as I know that when there is trust, children and families have positive outcomes. As long as I get to serve in my role at Idaho Parents Unlimited, we will work hard to develop trusting relationships with and between our professional partners and the families we serve!"
