One Father’s Stand for
Educational Justice
My work as an advocate didn’t begin with a career plan. It started the day I discovered my daughter in a makeshift classroom that looked more like a storage closet than a place of learning. That moment set me on a new path: becoming the advocate my children deserved and fighting for the families who stand beside them.
Low Expectations and the Fight for Student Potential
In 2001, I became a foster parent and eventually adopted four of my five children. Three of them have disabilities, including my oldest daughter, who was born with muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy. While her preschool years were supportive, everything changed in elementary school.
One day, during her third-grade year, I went to pick her up for a medical appointment. The school directed me to the cafeteria. It was dark and empty, but in the corner, I found a dimly lit hall. Behind a small door was her "self-contained" classroom—a converted storage room.
Inside, her teacher asked me a question that changed my perspective forever: Did I want my daughter to learn to write her name? When I said yes, the teacher suggested rubber stamps, implying actual handwriting was impossible. I took her to an occupational therapist the next day; within two hours, she was writing her name. I realized then that by third grade, the school had already given up on her.
A New Path: From Corporate Life to Special Education Advocate
I realized that unless I did something, the school’s default low expectations would thwart my daughter’s development. When I tried to work with the district, I was met with indifference. Eventually, I hired an advocate. At one meeting, the district handed me a copy of the procedural safeguards for parents.
That night, I read it cover to cover, learned how many violations had occurred, and filed my first official state complaint. Within the next year and a half, I filed 13 complaints and prevailed in 12 of them. I have a deep sense of justice and I had to fight for my daughter to have the opportunity to get an education. After years of advocating for my own children, I reached a turning point and left the corporate world to support students with disabilities and their families full-time.
In 2012, I founded Parent Support Arizona. Since then, the organization has helped thousands of parents across the state navigate education, behavioral health, and developmental disability services. My journey shows that parents can spark powerful change when they refuse to give up.
Why Arizona Families Need a Special Education Advocate
Today, I also serve on the board of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) and co-chair its Social Racial Equity Committee, where I train hundreds of advocates nationwide each year. I also had the chance to co-author the book Understanding Exceptional with two amazing friends and neuropsychologists, Dr. John Mather and Dr. Michael Volrich, to offer parents the compassionate, practical guidance I once needed myself.
Working alongside parents, advocates, and professionals has shown me that disabilities often go unseen; about 70% of students face challenges that aren’t immediately apparent. This reality fuels my commitment to ensuring every child, regardless of their needs, has a Champion by their side.
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Students with Disabilities
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