INDIANAPOLIS — Education is something Amy Gaffney knows well.
"I'm a speech language pathologist and an educational consultant," Gaffney said.
When it came time to develop an individualized education program for her daughter, Gaffney was not worried.
"Oh, this will be a piece of cake, I know what to do," Gaffney said.
An IEP is a learning guide created for students with disabilities or developmental delays. It helps students, like her daughter, get the support they need at school.
"She'll be really proud of the work she does, but it's hard for her," Gaffney said. "She's in a blended program between general education and resource assistance. And so, she gets a lot of support."
But it turned out that during the IEP process, Gaffney and her husband needed support, too.
"Emotions take over," Gaffney said. "I would just be so taken up with, it's my child, and I want these things for her."
Gaffney added that she was also worried about giving her daughter's teachers too much work.
So, she turned to IN*SOURCE.
IN*SOURCE's mission is to provide Indiana families with the information and training to help families best communicate their IEP concerns with the school.
Lesa Paddack, with IN*SOURCE, said the group is not there to tear an IEP apart.
"We are there to help families with some good open-ended questions," Paddack said.
For example, "Tell me more about how this plan would work?" or "How would I know that the speech therapist is coming?"
"We are here to help them (parents) with hard conversations at times," Paddack said. "We're also here to help them understand what to do if they don't agree with the process, and that is part of their protections under the federal and state law."
IN*SOURCE also offers parents sample letters.
And the Gaffneys are grateful for that guidance.
"It's nice to have someone else there," Gaffney smiled.
To find a service like IN*SOURCE in another state, click here.