MOVING MOUNTAINS

I’m Kit Savage, Director of Savage Advocates, LLC and the parent of two children with disabilities. I’m a parent advocate, activist, writer, PR expert and public speaker. The intention of my consulting practice is to advise and empower parents of children with disabilities to navigate special education.

It’s been a 14 year (and counting) journey of advocating for my own children. In my process, I’ve created and curated an independent support network, SPEDucated Parents while organizing a relentless PR campaign to shine a spotlight on the special education issues parents were experiencing in Darien, CT public schools.

From 2012-2014, I lead an energized community of parents of children with disabilities and we demanded the Darien public schools be investigated.

As a result of two independent investigations, the conclusion was the Darien district was in violation of more than 30+ areas of law designed to protect students with disabilities civil rights to a free and appropriate education (FAPE).

It took years and many dedicated parents who stood up against community backlash to demand that our children with disabilities deserved the same education as their typical peers were receiving. Parents suspected the issues and it was worth every board of education meeting to see it though. In the end. The parents knew best. The system was broken.

Prior to children, I spent 15 years in television at MTV Networks building what were then new networks into international brand icons at Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite and TV Land marketing. If there was anything we learned at MTV, it was to break new ground and do things differently.

It’s time to share the knowledge and advise parents both individually and in communities across the nation to move through the complex system of special ed that is stacked against parents.

My favorite quote on my vision wall is from Brene Brown.

Vulnerability is not winning or losing. It’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.

Many experiences I’ve had as a parent advocating and elbowing the school system have left me thinking...this is not what I had planned on doing.

The IEP process is filled with imperfections. Parents arrive in the school system given no tool kit. No warning. And yet we learn by failure to intervene that we must Move In. To an uncomfortable, unsteady place where we have no idea of the outcome. The PPT meeting.

Whether we like it or not, once we become parents of a child with a disability. You have entered the business of education and our child’s future is dependent upon our ability to advocate to meet their needs.

One of my greatest difficulties is working with how vulnerable I feel in the IEP process. I have to wrestle at times with emotions of guilt, shame and frustration that I know come with the territory. I have also been training to work at transforming those emotions into focus, persistence and passion and bringing it all to my IEP process.

I believe parents intuitively know emotions ARE advocacy. That passion for our children is sometimes all we have to carry us through this marathon of education. We are stuck in meetings where we are rushed through at times what are devastating test results and expected to pivot on the spot to know how to communicate what our kids needs.

In psychology, the zone in which a person is able to function most effectively is called the “window of tolerance”. This is an intention I have, to guide parents to use their emotions to be both effective and passionate members of their IEP teams.

I’ll wrap it up with a few truths I’ve picked up along the road thus far...

That every child when provided with the individualized supports and services they require can be educated.

That parents who do the extraordinarily demanding work of the business of advocating in special education will succeed beyond measure.

That we must always remember it was the parents who came before us who fought long and hard for civil rights for students with disabilities to receive an education .

And so it will also be that parents must unite to move the mountain of public education again and when we do and improve special education — it benefits all students.

So let’s get started...