Tips & perspectives for allies

A central component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is that families have insight and a role on the team creating their child's Individualized Education Program (IEP). This series shares what families may be experiencing and offers tips for working together productively.

Working with Families with High Support Needs - Most parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities report experiencing trauma, deep fear, taboo and stigma, social isolation, and fear for their child's well-being. This affects how they engage in their child's special education services and with the IEP team. In this class, we review best practices and strategies when supporting families of students with high support needs. 

• PRESENTER: Rachel Nemhauser, Director of Information & Family Support for The Arc of King County. Rachel is a parent of a young adult with developmental disabilities 
• REGISTRATION: https://forms.office.com/r/9yLEY8Z9wG 
• The class was presented live on April 9, 2025. Please register for materials and video link. Recording time: 1 hour and 9 minutes

Supporting Black/African American families - Black children continue to be under-represented in early support services and then later more likely to be placed into more segregated settings. We unpack that and talk about strategies to address cultural biases and barriers.

• PRESENTER: Chanita Stone, author and parent, and former Parent to Parent Coordinator for The Arc of King County
• REGISTRATION: https://forms.office.com/r/9yLEY8Z9wG 
• The class was presented live on April 8, 2025. Please register for materials and video link. Recording time: 1 hour and 12 minutes

Supporting Spanish Speaking Families - This presentation offers tips and insights on working with multicultural families as well as a discussion on the role of personal and community connections, impact of inclusive practices, and the importance of patience and checking in.

• PRESENTERS: 
  Sandra Urite, Multicultural Family Support Program Manager at The Arc of King County. Sandra is an educator, originally from Argentina, with a degree in early childhood and elementary school education and the mother of a young adult with developmental disabilities 
  
  Brenda Zacapu, Parent to Parent Coordinator for Spanish-speaking families at The Arc of King County. Brenda has served as an interpreter from a young age as well as a paraeducator and now supports families navigating health, social services, and public education. She is the sister and legal guardian of her adult brother with developmental disabilities. 
   
• REGISTRATION: https://forms.office.com/r/9yLEY8Z9wG 
• The class was presented live on April 1, 2025. Please register for materials and video link. Recording time: 1 hour and 14 minutes

Supporting AAC Users and Their Families - This class covers best practices and strategies for supporting students who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices to communicate. 

• PRESENTER: Jae Kim, MSW, Information and Referral Program Manager for The Arc of King County, and AAC user
• REGISTRATION: https://forms.office.com/r/9yLEY8Z9wG 
• The class was presented live on April 23, 2025. Please register for materials and video link. Recording time: 49 minutes