Family Services

Family Services

The Central Ohio Special Education Regional Resource Center (COSERRC) promotes strong family/educator partnerships to enhance the school success of children with disabilities. COSERRC offers information on issues which impact families of children with disabilities through learning opportunities, technical assistance, consultation, and meetings.

A Family Services consultant works collaboratively with Central Ohio school districts, parent mentors, agencies and other groups to provide support and information to families of children with disabilities. The consultant also serves as a liaison between families and school district personnel to foster positive family/educator collaboration and teamwork. Information related to the delivery of special education services and related issues of interest to families are available upon request.

For more information about these services contact:

Joe Farry, M.A.
Consultant
614.573.1569
joe_farry@coserrc.org

Tina Forshey
Support Services
614.573.1576
tina_forshey@coserrc.org

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Advocacy/Communication Skills

Parents as Advocates

An advocate is defined as "one who pleads another's cause" (Webster's New World Dictionary). As a parent of a child with special needs, you will probably be the first and the most influential advocate for your child. Advocacy should be a positive process that ensures the child's rights are protected, supports appropriate programs, and identifies and implements positive changes.

Steps to become your child's best advocate:

  • Become knowledgeable- you don't have to memorize federal and state laws or know everything about your child's disability. But you do need to be aware and know enough to ask questions;
  • Your child and family-the vision for the future, strengths, needs, interests, current supports;
  • Basic knowledge of federal and state special education laws;
  • How your local school district operates- how decisions are made, school culture;
  • Choose your battles wisely. Constantly arguing technicalities may lead to wasted time and can damage important relationships;
  • Identify the problem(s)- keep records, document phone calls or emails, meetings, assessment information, and educational records/academic progress;
  • Address only the problem;
  • Provide possible solutions;
  • Be clear, calm, and direct when speaking, put things in writing when possible, listen and take time to think, have clear ideas. Be a team player-remember to channel your energy in building partnerships with the professionals in order to strategize solutions that best serve your child.
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Family Resource Directory in the Central Ohio Area

The Family Resource Directory is designed to provide resources to families in the Central Ohio region. Various agencies, programs, schools and other services can be found in the Family Resource Directory. Information is added and updated periodically.

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Parent Mentor Network

Purpose

The Central Ohio Special Education Regional Resource Center Parent Mentor Network is one link in the cooperative effort among COSERRC, school districts, County Boards of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, State schools and Joint Vocational schools in the Central Ohio region.

Goals

The goals of the Parent Mentor Network are:

  • To provide information to the COSERRC staff and Executive Committee related to family concerns
  • To provide a forum for families to exchange information and to study various topics relating to the education of their children
  • To provide information and training to family representatives to enable them to facilitate effective communication between families and educators
  • To assist COSERRC in planning learning opportunities for families
  • To promote the principles and practices needed to develop partnerships between families and schools

Member Roles and Responsibilities

The Central Ohio Special Education Regional Resource Center Parent Mentor Network was established to serve as a framework for parent-educator partnerships. Parent Mentor members are employees of their school district to serve as liaisons between school districts and families.

For more information about the parent mentor in your district contact:

Joe Farry, M.A.
Consultant
614.573.1569
joe_farry@coserrc.org

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Summer Camp Program Directory

The Central Ohio Special Education Regional Resource Center (COSERRC) is pleased to offer you this Summer Camp Program Directory which contains a listing of selected camps and day programs serving children with disabilities.

If you know of any camp or other summer program that serves the needs of children with disabilities, please call or email us with the information so that we can include it in our next edition.

The Central Ohio SERRC would like to thank all of the camp and program personnel who took the time to respond to our inquiries. We appreciate your collaboration.

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