Being a Voice in Norwalk, Making Change in Special Need Protocol in Schools

My daughter Alanis is a happy 10-year-old girl who has lived in Norwalk, California most of her life.

I mention the city because our story begins here. Two frustrated parents that felt that nobody cared about their daughters special needs. We felt that we weren’t being heard, not by her teachers, not by our school district, not by the city we lived in. We wanted to just run, switch maybe to a different school, or maybe move to a better school district. We knew many parents felt just like we did, in our city and throughout the state.

We came to a point where we said, do we leave or do we stay and make a difference? We stayed. My daughter was sent to us for a reason and we were understanding why. We needed to be a voice not only for my daughter but for all the other families that might not be able to speak up. We got more involved in my daughters classroom, chaperoning & volunteering when needed. We were involved in our school district, having a direct impact on school administration.

We became more involved in our city events & politics, including our children in everything, introducing Alanis to everyone. Sharing our story by putting a name to a face. When it came time for requesting changes or even speaking up about improving things or bringing awareness, people seemed to hear us a lot better. I’m not saying you have to get involved in everything just to be heard but it helps when you meet people and you not only say something but show it. Our actions do speak louder than words. We chose to stay put and not run to the next solution but make a difference where we were currently at. We needed to be a voice for Alanis, and for all the children that needed to be heard in Norwalk.

Two years after, Alanis finished school and I can say that there is progress. We were all so happy we stayed and finished off elementary school here in Norwalk. Now we can live in peace and make a difference in our new school. Our journey continues on being a voice for Alanis wherever destiny takes us. Steady on and make a difference!