Gina's Story
نص القصة المصورة
- A Baby Is Born
- Work on my baby? What is happening??
- I have to go work on your baby now.
- A Mother's Strength Helps to Make Progress
- Way to go, Gina! You're sitting up!!
- The School Years
- Great job, Gina. You are making so much progress!
- Imagine that you are a mother going through the excitement of a first pregnancy only to be told upon delivery that there is something "WRONG" with your child. You are told that your child has a severe disability and may never learn how to ride a tricycle or even zipper a coat. The doctors continue to bombard you with negative information, focusing on what your child will NOT be able to do, even suggesting the placement of this child in an institution because you should prepare for the WORST and get on with your life. Later, a social worker reminds you that your child is mentally retarded and will probably not amount to much in society. Well this happened to Niki Mirabella, and her story was disheartening to read. Furthermore, it was unacceptable to find out that the medical professionals did not provide her with more positive support in this very difficult time.
- Giving Parents a "Voice"
- I feel overwhelmed and I do not know what to do anymore!
- I can offer some suggestions that may help.
- Fortunately a mother's love is the strongest kind of love, and these words didi not discourage Niki. Her love only grew stronger for her daughter, Gina, and she fought for Gina to have the best life she possibly could. Niki did not view her daughter as broken, incapable, "a mere statistic," or a burden to society, as many had suggested. As one can see in Niki's PowerPoint presentation, she had tremendous faith that her daughter could defy all odds. She provided her with the best care and assistance by seeking out different therapies, alternative treatments, adaptive equipment, and by having her involved in many activities or fun family outings, and providing her with continuous love and emotional support. Gina clearly thrived in this kind of environment, which led to her many accomplishments. Reading about Niki's strength and Gina' success story was very inspirational to me.
- Ways That Teachers Can Help
- Support Group Meeting
- But what may have been the most moving part of this story for me was Niki's advocation for her daughter during her school years. First, she decided to go back to school herself to study special education in order to advocate better for her daughter, which is a huge undertaking in itself. Second, Niki had hope, faith, and confidence that her daughter would excel if she was just given the proper opportunities and environment to do that. Despite the fact that many professionals at Gina's various schools did not share the same faith in Gina as Niki had, Niki did not give up on her daughter and fought for her to have an educational experience that provided socialization, stimulation, peer interaction, and accessibility to the curriculum. Most of all though, she finally found an environment that focused on Gina's POSITIVE abilities rather than her negative ones.
- More Ways To Assist Parents
- Thank you, I can't wait to see his progress.
- Here is your son's folder.  I'm sure you  will see he is doing great work!  Let me know what you think.
- The confidence, love, encouragement, and never-ending strength Niki had for Gina is what I believe had the most impact on her life, which allowed her to flourish. Unfortunately many parents of children with disabilities may not have the same sense of "drive" to advocate for their children as Niki had. They may feel discouraged by society's negative input and may lack confidence to share their opinion or "voice" about what they feel is best for their child. Additionally they may feel as if they are all alone. This is why as teachers it is important that we guide these parents in order to help them find their "voice."
- -One way in which I can help my students' parents find their "voice" is to let them know there are advocacy groups out there that can help. "The Center for Parent Information and Resources," https://www.parentcenterhub.org/whatiscpir/, is a "hub" where one can find the appropriate state advocacy organization. These organizations may hold information or training sessions and share evaluation and assessment documents as well. Letting parents know how to better educate themselves through these organizations gives them the confidence to have "a say" in their child's education.-A second idea is to start a support group (or lead parents to one that is already formed), where many parents of children with disabilities can meet together to discuss issues and solutions together. It would be helpful if teachers or staff could attend at least some of these meetings as well so that there is two-way communication.
- -A third thing that I could do to help these parents be heard is to create a traveling folder. This folder would contain the student's work and a sheet that provides a space for both parents and teachers to write comments on this work. The folders would go back and forth from school to home. This way there would be an open line of communication between the parents and the teacher. I would also make sure to focus on the positive things the student is doing to provide encouragement.-A fourth idea I have to assist these parents is to hold meetings (outside of the regular IEP meetings) to let parents communicate any concerns or questions they have, but also to get to know these families and what the student does outside of school (i.e., activities they are involved in, things they enjoy doing, what is important in their lives, etc.). I would also let them know that they can reach me anytime by a communication method of their choice to voice concerns or provide suggestions to me as well.
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