Part two – Creating Culture: Choosing to Be An Emotionally Present Parent

Click Here to read Part One Admittedly, the past few years since becoming a parent have been very stressful. From not knowing why both my children did not meet key developmental milestones (and the initial helplessness and hopelessness that came with that) to not know how to help them.  Because I trust in the guidance […]

Part One – Creating Culture: Choosing to Be An Emotionally Present Parent

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the 2017 Transformational Leadership Forum hosted by the Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competency (NCCC). I was not only honored to have had the opportunity to learn from highly skilled cultural competency trainers, but the icing on the cake has been to now be invited […]

Caretaker in Maleness: The Economy of Male Teachers and Healthcare Professionals

Last week, I was invited to speak with the Male Caregivers  Advocacy Support Group, an initiative of Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN).  It was truly an honor and pleasure to be surrounded with black men that are committed to being strong support for their loved ones with disabilities.  It brought tears to my […]

Nurtured in Politics: Growing Up in Washington, DC

Unless one is living under a rock, or is a millennial that didn’t grow in Washington, DC, most are aware and saddened by the passing of longtime news anchor Jim Vance. Reflecting on how much he and co-anchor Doreen Genzler were furniture in memories of my youth in DC also here prompted more bittersweet thoughts […]

ESSA and Special Education: the Spectrum of Hopes and Fears of a Parent Advocate

 We are only half-way through 2017 and already, this year has proven to be groundbreaking in regards to Local and Federal policies regarding delivery of care education services for students with disabilities.  From the landmarks Supreme Court ruling in the March 2017 Endrews F. v Douglass County School District, which ruled in favor of academically challenging […]

Medicaid and Me

It is wonderful news to hear that the vote on the massive tax-cut for the wealthy bill (disguised as a health care bill) has been postponed for at least another week and a half. Yet as a mother and head of household of two young children with autism whose quality of care is heavily dependent […]

Part 2: What is Basic Income

In the last post on Basic Income, I alluded to the pilot program that was just approved in Hawaii as well as the project in Ontario, Canada sponsored by the Poverty Reduction Strategy Office (PRSO). I had the pleasure of meeting Karen Glass, the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ontario PRSO, who is a willing […]

Part 1: (IDEA/Child Find)+ Basic Income = Equity

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to present at the Sixteenth (16th) Annual North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. It was such a positive and uplifting event with a variety of people of many political persuasions and representing different industries that all came together to talk strategy on how to make Basic Income a reality in the United State.

Disabilities Competency: Lessons of a Parent Advocate

Over the past year, I have been privileged to meet many people operating at various levels of disabilities advocacy in Washington, DC. Ranging from elected officials to accomplished advocates to parents/caretakers to self-advocates, it has been a heartwarming exposure to people who are also passionate around improving our community through personal and political measures to […]