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At that time, when she was born
the resources in our community were
what I quickly found out in making contacts
phone calls, trying to research everything
there was to find out. It was quite
fragmented. I learned about things
across the state, but little did I know
and it took a very circuitous and long
process to find one little resource
that did start up in our community
six months after she was born.
But there wasn't early intervention
at that time. We later became involved
in that and fought for that and advocated
for it. But there wasn't so there was very little.
The project that we got involved in early
was called Project Sunrise and it
actually came out of Morganton, but they
were doing kind of like satellite programs,
trying out various ideas about what is
supportive to families? What helps families
have greater outcomes for their kids with
special needs. And so we got involved
in this basement of a church.
Families came together who were interested
and willing to be together in this setting
in a play setting and learned a lot of
techniques about how we were the best
teachers for our parents. And, as a brand
new mom, that's something that just doesn't
feel natural, necessarily, especially
when your child has special needs.
It was taught and I was encouraged
and reminded that I really was
the best teacher and advocate
for my daughter and so, that was just
the beginning of a long history of
opportunities that came our way.
I have seen this system grow from not
having early intervention to what we now
in our state and across our country
is the infant toddler program and the preschool
program and better services for
children with special needs in
the special ed sections of the school system
And more exciting to me now, because it's
relevant to me now is that the transition
to adulthood and the opportunities for
adults in our state alone we have college
options. I would have never thought that
was an option 30 years ago.
And how exciting it is today that my
daughter is a graduate of UNCG, because
of the nature of vision people have had.
I guess what has happened through the
course of my experience - my daughter born
getting involved in early intervention,
fighting for legislation, standing up and
advocating for legislation for public
laws that provided early intervention
in our state and amendments to IDEA,
I just quickly found that of all
the things that I enjoyed doing in my
past life so to speak is teaching and
helping that I could do it all in this
field and so I quickly got involved in
anything I could to support other families
speak up about issues that were at
hand, that needed attention, that needed
a voice. And, found, eventually, slowly
but surely through all those different
efforts I've been involved in, I found
that what really matters the most to me
and motivates me the most is supporting
someone when they're just finding out
and that that parent to parent connection
is crucial. From that, those people
will gain the skills, their own voice
in their own time. Not that I'm a, I'm a
very big proponent for providing educational
opportunities for them to find that voice.
There's all kinds of ways to nurture families
in this new journey that they did not
expect to be on, because there's so much
to give and take and so much richness
in this. So much change to be made
and, so, advocacy was the only way to go
for me. To speaking up and people were
willing to have me be there to speak up
and so we've had a systems change
in a sense over time, that that was
the thing to do.
It just so happens that the passion I
had for parenting my daughter has led
me down a path that I would have never
chosen, but I am forever grateful
to have been down. And, the people
that I have met, the experiences I have had,
the mind expanding learning that I have had
and the value that I have found in my actions
and in my doing and in my choice of career
has been just amazing to me.
And, this award is, it's with great
honor that I accept this award.