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YOU DON’T NEED TO BE
LOUD TO BE HEARD

If you are the kind of person who always thought of yourself as the shy and quiet type, you may soon surprise yourself.

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SPEAKING UP
WITH PROVIDERS

Sometimes a caregiver —a teacher, the person who welcomes your child to a program or a doctor—seems to effortlessly connect with your child.

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SPEAKING UP
AT SCHOOL

Teaching children is not easy, and neither is being a parent. When your child has challenges, it makes good communication with your child’s teachers that more important.

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SPEAKING UP
IN PUBLIC

There are many times you will want to speak up in public, and occasions when you decide it’s not the right time. Each of us has to find our own way forward, but it can be really helpful to talk it through with others who know exactly what you’re saying—or not saying!

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CHANGING THE WORLD TAKES TIME BUT YOU AREN’T ALONE.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE GOALS ALL PARENTS SHARE.

The choice between silence and standing up for your child isn’t a choice at all. You may not think of yourself as brave, but when you meet resistance, you may find yourself to push back against attitudes that hurt people with disabilities.

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‘I wouldn’t change you kids for anything, but I’ll work my whole life to change the world for you’ – Amy Wright

CREATE
OPPORTUNITY

We all cheer when someone overcomes challenges to achieve a goal, whether it’s about athletics or independence or a job.

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RAISE
EXPECTATIONS

No one should be underestimated.

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OPEN
MINDS

So many challenges start with a different mindset, and sometimes you need to inform people on certain issues, so that their assumptions don’t get in the way of your child.

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WORK AROUND
BARRIERS

It is so easy to say but can be so hard to do.

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TAKE (REASONABLE) CHANCES

Safety is a very important thing when it comes to our children, but it’s not the only thing.

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IT’S ALWAYS BEST TO PARTNER WITH OTHERS

Cooperation beats conflict, until it doesn’t.

It’s always best to partner with others, to have others working together with us to make sure our children have the support and encouragement they need. But there are times when that just does not happen.

When parents are in conflict, whether with a doctor, a school system or anyone else, it is almost always stressful and unpleasant and can sometimes get out of hand. If you find yourself with no other options, it is always helpful to learn from others who have been down the same road before.

Getting a child the help they need and deserve can be a battle, and being prepared and focused can make a difference

CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES

Until the world embraces differences and everyone is happy to pay for great services for all, there will be way too many battles to face, so don’t get upset because you are just feeling frustrated or impatient—wait until you really have no other way of getting your child what they need.

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JOIN FORCES

If you’re a parent of a child with differences, you’ve almost certainly felt isolated, and maybe more times than you can remember.

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KNOW WHAT YOU ARE
FIGHTING FOR

We can all agree that what we all want for our children is a world that accepts and celebrates them.

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KNOW WHAT’S
STANDING IN YOUR WAY

When you are working to have your child supported and you are told it can’t be done, sometimes all you hear is ‘no’.

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RAISE AN ADVOCATE

In the long run, you’ll know you succeeded as your kid’s champion when you have a child who feels entitled to the fullest life possible.

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