The Voice on the Other End

August 2009 Sponsored Section

Like most parent advocates at PACER Center, Virginia Richardson has her own story of navigating the ups and downs of a family member’s mental health or learning disability. Her daughter, Debbie, has epilepsy and cognitive disabilities. With Debbie as her impetus, Richardson has compiled an exceptional record at PACER Center—29 years as either a volunteer, board member, or employee.

 Tell us about how you got started at PACER Center.
A neurologist told me there were two competing philosophies in education. One was that you keep a child as long as you can with typical students and the other was that you separate a child with disabilities from other children. So we asked the principal of our elementary school, who was a friend of ours, if Debbie could go on to first grade even though we had a visit from a psychologist and a social worker who told us Debbie would never learn to read and write and should be placed in a home. They put her in first grade. She did have a teacher who accepted her and taught her like she taught all the other first graders, and Debbie learned to read and write in first grade just like everyone else.

When parents contact PACER, what sort of help will they get from parent advocates?
We have an 800 number parents can call for free all over the state. We’re not attorneys and we tell parents we’re not attorneys, but we do know the special education law really well. We help parents explore options, but we don’t make any decisions for anybody. The decision is left to the parent. We want parents to do as much for themselves as they can, but we recognize that people come to us with different strengths and challenges.

How else can PACER help?
We work with parents of children of all disabilities, from birth through young adulthood. We have many programs. We do workshops all over the state on parents’ rights and responsibilities in special education because there is a law that governs the education of children with disabilities, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Parents have some due process rights in that law. We are also there to help people understand the disability and communicate effectively with the professionals who work with them. 

Some parents might find it intimidating reaching out for help and making a first contact. Any advice? 
For some people, that is very hard. We answer all calls. Our concept is parents helping parents and most of our advocates are parents themselves who understand what families are experiencing. 

What rewards do you personally get from working for PACER and with parents? 
I go home every day with a great deal of satisfaction, knowing that I helped somebody. I know this because they tell me. It’s a very rewarding job for me.

To talk to a PACER Center parent advocate, call 952-838-9000 or 800-537-2237.