I understand that the economy is tight, and I understand that stress levels for all of us are high, and I know that those things, in combination with all the other stresses in life can be somewhat paralyzing, but if you are the parent of a child with special needs, it is time to move, not freeze up. I also understand that for many parents, the end of the school year is seen as a time to take a breath again, to try and relax a little from all the school-year needs and concerns. As the school year ends, so many of us parents love the thought of pulling back into the family shell, and hiding out for a bit of time and taking a breath.
But, no matter how much we want to crawl into our caves and hide, we need to keep learning and educating ourselves as parents. For those of you who follow this blog, you know I harp on this theme. The truth is that knowledge is power. Knowledge allows you as a parent to operate on a level playing field with the professionals and allows you to understand the rules by which the special education game is played. How do you expect to be successful if you don’t have the information you need to play the game? One part of this educational process that every parent should figure out a way to take part in is attending conferences for parents. There are quite a few of them, from smaller, ½ day, local events to webinars to day-long regional conferences to multi-day statewide conferences. They are all places where a parent can learn, and can make connections with other parents and professionals. They are places where parents can gain knowledge and power.
One conference is coming up here in Florida that if you are a parent, you should seriously be looking at attending. That is the Family Café. This conference is held every year in June in Orlando, and has attendance of between eight thousand and ten thousand people. Two and ½ days of workshops, dozens of activities, and networking opportunities for families abound. I have been going for years. Honestly, the first time, as a parent, it was a little overwhelming, but I quickly discovered how welcoming the conference was and how much information was available. Now, I go every year and present a number of workshops. I get to meet families and professionals – some new, some that I see only sporadically and some I work with all the time. Also, from the parent side, I get the chance to look around and remember that my family is not alone and not really different. We are much like so many of the other families that are out there. That is good to know, and something that is good to be reminded of every so often.
Take a look at Family Café (just Google it – you will find the conference) and the dozens of other conferences and training opportunities available to families. They can help you with making your way through the special education world. They can also help you gain knowledge. Remember, knowledge is important because knowledge is power.
