Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
I originally got involved because I just did not like
the way things were happening in our state, and I felt like
this would be a great way for us to work
together more as a team.
And being the parent part of that team, helped me to see
what other sides of our state every
different group was doing.
And then it brought all of us together.
And I wanted to make sure that parents were being
represented in that.
When my child was born, he went to have the newborn
hearing screening, was referred over to early
intervention--
because we have audiologists in our early intervention--
but at that point, we didn't have diagnostics there.
And then I was referred out to a local audiologist.
And my child was the first child to be on
that diagnostic equipment.
And to me, as a parent, my main job-- and my other job--
is I'm a early childhood special-ed teacher.
And I just thought- where have all these other
children gone before me?
And it was hard for me to get there-- what happens to all
the families after me?
I wanted to make things easier for our families.
It was a little hard at first, because for me it's like--
I want to see it change, and I wanted to see it all change.
You know, save the world.
So it was hard to really break it down into
those little pieces.
But once I started seeing--
OK, if we start small and test it, and then it works, and
then go bigger with a couple more.
And then seeing that you could make the system
change across the state.
So if we started small and then it worked, and then we
were able to keep it going and it's sustaining itself, then
it was worth it.