year we sponsor an advocacy day at the Capitol, and our youth program is a huge, huge part of that. After we have a certain activity or a rally in the rotunda of the Capitol, then we send people out to meet with their individual legislators and do courtesy calls and things like that. And our students are always a huge part of that because they are the next generation. My grandmother always used to say to me, you know, David, we're all in this alone together. And it's so true. And that's one of the reasons why we really have to involve the youth and keep getting them out on the front line because it's so critically important for them to be visible. One of our other huge parts of our transition program is working with the students to become more effective members of their IEP team and to learn how to use the IEP as an effective, long-range planning tool. It's a valuable resource for them. So we really try to get them to be active and vocal and a participatory part of that IEP team. Yes, ma'am, right up here. Would you grab the mike, please? Thank you. Or have some help you there. >> AUDIENCE MEMBER: Do you do self-led IEP? >> DAVID: Absolutely. We do. In fact, we encourage that. I've gone to so many IEP teams myself, and it's so fun because the teachers will say, you know, here at our school, we like to see Bobby take a leadership role. And we're going to make sure that he really has a lot of say in this. And we want him to be more We want him to be a stronger self-advocate. And I always look at them and say, you know what, I think that is fantastic. I think that is wonderful. Now, what are you willing to give up? And that's when they kind of look at me and go what? What? And I say, well, you want him to be a strong self-advocate. You want him to practice and demonstrate How is he going to do that unless you have got to give up some of the power? You've got to let him or her demonstrate that. It can't just be rhetorical. You have to let them do it.
year we sponsor an advocacy day at the Capitol, and our youth program is a huge, huge part of that. After we have a certain activity or a rally in the rotunda of the Capitol, then we send people out to meet with their individual legislators and do courtesy calls and things like that. And our students are always a huge part of that because they are the next generation. My grandmother always used to say to me, you know, David, we're all in this alone together. And it's so true. And that's one of the reasons why we really have to involve the youth and keep getting them out on the front line because it's so critically important for them to be visible. One of our other huge parts of our transition program is working with the students to become more effective members of their IEP team and to learn how to use the IEP as an effective, long-range planning tool. It's a valuable resource for them. So we really try to get them to be active and vocal and a participatory part of that IEP team. Yes, ma'am, right up here. Would you grab the mike, please? Thank you. Or have some help you there. >> AUDIENCE MEMBER: Do you do self-led IEP? >> DAVID: Absolutely. We do. In fact, we encourage that. I've gone to so many IEP teams myself, and it's so fun because the teachers will say, you know, here at our school, we like to see Bobby take a leadership role. And we're going to make sure that he really has a lot of say in this. And we want him to be more We want him to be a stronger self-advocate. And I always look at them and say, you know what, I think that is fantastic. I think that is wonderful. Now, what are you willing to give up? And that's when they kind of look at me and go what? What? And I say, well, you want him to be a strong self-advocate. You want him to practice and demonstrate How is he going to do that unless you have got to give up some of the power? You've got to let him or her demonstrate that. It can't just be rhetorical. You have to let them do it.
041012_transcript_Hancox.docx