If you have a child with disabilities, you understand the stress of feeling like you could be doing more. There are a lot of resources available through school and state funding, but even those do not fully address all the issues that come up throughout life. There are sensitive questions parents hold in that they feel nobody would understand. What if there were a group of parents of kids with disabilities that were organized together to work through these things? That is exactly what the Utah Parent Center is! Having a child with disabilities can be difficult and it can be easy to want to isolate, thinking that you are alone in your struggle. The Utah Parent Center proves that you are not alone, and there are so many other families going through similar things.
The Utah Parent Center is an amazing resource for families with children with disabilities. They help with a wide range of things, acting as a source of helpful contacts statewide. They can assist with guardianship, behavior issues, disabilities and faith, early intervention, IEPs (they have district consultants), disability law, social security, and many other nuanced issues that parents deal with. The Utah Parent Center also hosts parent training and seminars on many of these important topics. If you are in a time crunch, they also have virtual seminars. I will always recommend them as a great source of information and resources. If you have questions or are worried about a specific issue, you can just give them a call and someone who is understanding will answer and get you where you need to go.
Another part of the Utah Parent Center is that there are opportunities to connect with other families with children with disabilities and to be a part of support groups, and even to lead a group in your area. I met the parent consultant for the Utah Parent Center, who organizes this family to family network, and her contact information is below. I met her at a recent training, and she is always looking to increase participation on the family to family network.
Julia Pearce
Parent Consultant, Family to Family Network
801-272-1051
If you have a child or family member in DSPD services, and want to know more about Person Centered Planning, Lisa Wade is the Person Centered Support Plan Coordinator. She has come to my office and trained me and my employee and some support coordinator friends, but also provides training for parents to help you to know how to navigate a Person Centered Support Plan (PCSP) for the maximum benefit for your child or family member. I'll also include her contact information below:
Lisa Wade
Person Centered Support Plan Coordinator
801-272-1051
Also, please check out the Utah Parent Center website at: