Empowered Parents Share Stories

We empower parents and transition age youth by providing an understanding of the special education and health care processes, communication strategies, effective teaming, and resources available to meet a child’s unique needs.

Below are a few of the stories families have shared about their journey to becoming effective members of their child’s educational and medical team. Share your Family’s Story! [email protected]

Family Empowerment Stories

Say Cheese

By Penny Dorpinghaus When my son, Andrew, was two years old, no one could understand a word he said. I took him to Heartspring for testing and speech therapy. Even though Andrew had been in speech for a year he still had difficulty understanding that...

Rolling with the Tide

By Kristina McCollum Lola Lola Rosalie Shea was born a little over 3 years ago, 3 very long minutes after I passed through the hospital doors. Now that I’ve had some time to get to know her, I can see the true humor in her arrival (and now that...

Rebecca

By Pauletta Raines When asked to write a one-page article about Rebecca, I said, “Sure, I can do that.” After all, my training and experience are as a journalist. But as I’ve tried to put words on the page, I’ve found that there’s an indefinable something about...