of time,
there have been those (the advocates) who have wanted to make things better for
children in special education. Many times these people or groups wanted just the
opposite of what the people in the schools wanted. It was difficult, and often
impossible, for the two groups to agree on anything.
What could be done to bring these two groups together?
In the late 1980's the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (then known as The Ohio Coalition for Handicapped Children) hosted focus groups throughout Ohio and asked the advocates what could be done to make it easier for them to understand and work with the schools.
The resounding answer was to have someone in the schools who knew the system and who also knew and understood the feelings and concerns of the parents. Someone who could lead them down the path, so to speak. The concept for the Parent Mentor was born!
The Coalition, along with the Office for Exceptional Children and the Office of Early Childhood Education stepped up to the plate, and in 1990, funding for the first 10 Parent Mentors was allotted. RFP's were sent to the school districts in Ohio.