A Personal Reflection

My first introduction with the school system came from Child Find. I was pretty scared and nervous to make the first call. Then it came time to walk into that first appointment… I felt  overwhelmed. I had spoken with someone who gave me some initial information about what they would be doing with my son. I took my mother with me for support. She is Spanish speaking, with very limited English proficiency. My mother came with me to every meeting since. She also took care of my children when I was working. I am a single parent, and having my mother there was very important to me because she was just as actively involved in their care as I was.

My first language is Spanish, but I am fairly fluent in English. My mother is prominently Spanish speaking, but has learned some English. When we began our journey through the school system, it was very difficult trying to grasp all of the new information that was coming our way. We were both overwhelmed. We went to several evaluations for Antonio and meetings where I acted as translator for my mother. Nobody offered to have a translator there or even a liaison that we could connect with. I can clearly remember from the beginning explaining that my mother was a valuable member of the family, and that when I was not available to care for my children due to work, she was acting as their primary caretaker.