EDUG 778 – PARENT INTERVIEW

Patricia Wright

After hearing in class that we would have the opportunity to interview a family member

of a disabled individual, I knew I wanted to interview my mom. I wanted to know what it was

like to raise my sister Megan. My mom works so hard to make sure my sister has all of her

needs met. She has a beautiful balance of being supportive and loving towards her but still

pushing her to be independent. There are a lot of questions I have always wanted to ask my

parents about raising Megan, but I did not know where to begin.

I came into this interview, thinking that I would already know a lot about what my

mother would say about my sister. I knew a lot about what happened after I was born, but I

knew nothing about my sister before then. That her diagnosis was a complicated process. I

always thought she was diagnosed right away because she is such a severe case. It turns out even

in a severe case, she was misdiagnosed as just being behind and put in the wrong educational

setting. I thought because of the beautiful program she was in, she received outstanding care.

Granted, her first preschool was terrific so much I actually went there after her. Still, they put

her in an integrated setting when she really needed one-on-one with consistent ABA therapy. I

did not realize how far my mom had to travel to get her to preschool every day.

The most shocking thing I learned is how long my parents had to pay out of pocket for

Megan's services. It wasn't until my mom was pregnant with me that the truth finally was able to

get approved for the services to help take care of my sister. I think there's a common

misconception that because the rights of disabled people have exponentially gotten better

overtime that these services we're just completely obtainable. The process for obtaining the

proper services is not common knowledge the most parents or families. Through this interview, I
EDUG 778 – PARENT INTERVIEW

got to see how fortunate my family was. My parents are together, they both have steady incomes,

have a supportive extended family, and are well educated. I genuinely don't know how they can

do it for families who are not given those circumstances. My mom was able to get the services

for my sister because she could take off from work to just take care of my sister and have the

knowledge to do so. Very rarely can families make that decision or have that option available.

As I began to understand how difficult it is to find the right services for individuals with

special needs, I realize how crucial my role is as an educator. I think the worst thing a teacher

can be is uninvolved in areas impacting their students. This course is all about students with

disabilities who has focused mainly on students' rights in this demographic. Because the most

important thing special education teachers could do is provide their students with the rights they

deserve, I want to do advocacy work on the side as an educator. I think coming from this

background of understanding how difficult it is to work in the system and get what you're

entitled to, I want to help the families who were in his privileges. I think it's important,

particularly for specialized schools, to have parent workshops educate them on their rights of

their children. I also think it's important we partly play a role as lawyers in defending the rights

of our kids. I hope over the course of this class, I will learn more ways to ensure my students get

the treatment they deserve.

MANHATTAN COLLEGE
RIVERDALE, N.Y.

EDUG 778: Nature and Needs

PARENT INTERVIEW

Describe your son/daughter – i.e. their age and handicapping condition

Megan is very charming, loving, affectionate But very limited in verbal and self help. She
is very receptive but can't communicate.

Does he/she present special problems? – i.e. physical, social/emotional, educational

Hates crowds and skills of interaction are limited. Has issues of urinating as a behavior
issue that regressed with pubert​y.

What causes you the most frustration in raising this child/adolescent?

Her urination because she is potty trained but uses it behaviorally.

Describe your son/daughter’s strengths and weaknesses

strengths
● charming
● household chores
● funny
● kind
● empathic
● good memory with music
● remembers people
● neat
● independent with camp and in a residential facility
Weaknesses
● needy
● sensory issues
● steals food
● screaming

Do you have any fears or concerns about your son/daughter in the future? - i.e. Adolescence,
early adulthood, etc.

Her teeth because she regurgitates her food as a behavior issue.

What are your goals for your son/daughter regarding education, social/emotional development,
and vocational?
EDUG 778 – PARENT INTERVIEW

Communication skills likes PECS, possibly get a job bagging groceries.

Describe the relationship of brothers and sisters with this child/adolescent

Very close, plays a lot together, very protective of her and loves her.

Who has been your best source of information?

Her school heartshare a ABA program with a lot of parent training.

Do you have any support system to turn to for advice and help? – i.e. family, friends,
organizations, agencies, etc.

My mom and my husband's dad and my cousins and other parents but not alot of other
parents cause it's stigmatized.

Describe your experiences with professionals – i.e. medical doctors, psychologists, counselors,
social workers, etc.

Found them good in the beginning but sometimes doctors didn't get it especially when
she got aggressive.. attacks/self harm they were not helpful but the residence was

Who diagnosed your son/daughter? When?

1st evaluation at 2 2 ½ years old and was told she was behind to go to school. She was
put in a classroom that was hard for her ICT in Heartshare. She was in for 3 months and
was later put in an ABA class in a year she was put in a more intense class one on one.
She went to the Bronx Howard Haber had to fight with DOE for transportation purposes.
Told she was when she was three through her school to the agency AHRC.

What type of experience have you had with the school system, regarding diagnosis and/or
placement, adequacy of special education programs and services, and professional staff ( i.e.
counselors and teachers)?

Had to find the right program for her. Public system was not happy with it. A non-public
school that I got funding for through the DOE. The focus was the ABA program. Good
experience with the teachers in that school and that they cared.

Have you been actively involved with any organizations or agencies for the handicapped?

AHRC you were a board member (Committee: recreation and camp, indience and review,
clinical services, nominationing and sibling).

* What advice would you give a parent of a child with a similar disability?

Fight! You are going to get what you need for your child and you are going to continue to
get what you need.
EDUG 778 – PARENT INTERVIEW