On September 12, 2014, Connect to Community hosted its first “Friday Forum” Parent Education event. Sue Hans, Parent Mentor for the Northern Suburban Special Education District (NSSED), addressed an audience of parents, educators and service providers about the changing role of families as students move from educational entitlements into the “real world”. Defining transition as the intentional work of learning how to build a life, Sue discussed the shift from team member/advocate to case manager, the value of resilience, and most of all, the importance of being kind to yourself.
Special thanks to the Palatine Police Department for allowing us to use their Training Room for this event and to the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization for partnering with us for the Parent Education Series. Sue’s presentation on “Preparing for Transition: What Every Parent Should Know” is available at www.nsseo.org/community/parent-workshops.
