Oregon advocate

[Paulette Selman]

Hi I guess I'm kicking this off!! Happy to have a space to connect with other advocates and families.

I'm a special education parent advocate based in Oregon, and I also work with families in other states on a case-by-case basis.

My story is... school psychologist for 16 years in Illinois, Oregon, and Washington. Started making an exit plan from public service a few years ago, and mulled over what I might like to do next. I realized I always really loved connecting with families and helping them to understand what was going on with our school plans. I've been a 504 case manager, general ed behavior intervention guru, and of course spent many years doing psychoeducational evaluations and leading teams through decisions about eligibility and services.

What I love about it:

• helping families know what the school could and should be doing for their kids
• coming in as a partner so the parent isn't alone on their side of the table
• getting teams back on track - educators are swamped and sometimes it takes a gentle nudge to help them be their best selves
• prepping with families so they know what to expect in meetings
• flexible schedule so I can have more time for me and my fam

I'm happy to be here! Need help? Ask me. 

[christine]

Thank you for your clear and helpful reply to my plea for help earlier today, Paulette. I greatly appreciate it!