Family Partnerships: From Finger Pointing to Handshakes
Congratulations to the organizers of the Delaware Transition Conference, which I attended today. Nearly half of the 800 participants were middle and high school students who stepped into leadership roles. They introduced speakers, presented on panels, and performed songs from Boundless, an amazing musical written by the talented George Tilson. There were also more than 50 parents supporting the participation of their children.
As expected, the speakers addressed knowledge, skills, and linkages that youth will need as they transition into adulthood. I was quite impressed by the wealth of agencies displaying their supports and services who were eager to have personal conversations with anyone who stopped by. It was another successful conference!
At the same time, I heard the typical finger pointing that happens at events like this when stakeholders from differing orientations get together.
Have you heard any of these?
Many of our families have unrealistic expectations for their children.
These agencies use a “one size fits all” approach that won’t fit my child.
The IEP team didn’t want me to criticize goals they had written for my daughter.
The school told me that I was being a helicopter parent; I should cut the apron strings.
We employ youth with disabilities here, but often families ask us to change our work schedules to fit their needs. They also tell us behavior expectations for employees are not reasonable even though we see the student making progress.
Teachers put too much emphasis on getting passing grades; don’t they realize social skills are more important?
My son will not earn a diploma, so I don’t understand why he can’t spend his whole day in career preparation classes and just forget the academics.
University programs haven’t prepared special education teachers to be successful with transition aged youth.
They don’t know how to teach my son to control his behavior outbursts.
Families going through divorce expect schools to bend over backwards while they are making life difficult for their children.
We have a really hard time getting families to fill out the applications when we send them home.
All of these statements reveal US vs THEM polarizing thoughts. We need to notice how often the finger of blame absolves us from taking responsibility.
That’s what we’ll examine on Thursday during my FREE webinar
Problem Parents: Our Untapped Asset
I will also announce and provide details about the
Family Partnership Cadre (Jan – Dec. 2019) for transition teams
The Problem Parents Webinar and Family Partnership Cadre have concluded.
See other Visionary Projects on my website.
