Students, staff, and parents involved in the special education department showed up in force at the January Mattituck Board of Education meeting to thank the board for its continued support and to highlight some of the achievements of the department.
“With the help of my friends here, we want to share what this beautiful district and your support helps provide for all of us,” special education director Trish Desiderio said as she introduced the group. “And there’s nothing more powerful than hearing from those we serve, and who we work so hard to do our best to include in all things Mattituck.”
Students dealing with a range of disabilities from anxiety to dyslexia to Down syndrome participate in the special education program at Mattituck, which has developed individualized education programs for around 180 students to date. Several students currently in the program came up to the podium to share their own personal struggles and growth within the department.
“For me, being in special ed means you learn at your own pace. Special ed doesn’t mean you’re different,” one boy said. “Parents, if you see your kids struggling in school, putting them in special ed isn’t a punishment, it’s a gift.”
Amy Folk shared the story of her two sons with autism, who are currently high school students in the district. With tears in her eyes she told the audience about her oldest son, who began kindergarten unable to speak and was recently named to the National Honor Society.
She also had a warning for the school board about the parents of special ed students.
“Parents of those with special needs have to advocate for our children because no one else will. We’re an emotional group that will sometime bring tissues to meetings,” Folk said. “So don’t look poorly at a parent becoming a thorn in your side. In our eyes our cause is more important than sports programs or after school clubs. We are fighting to give our children a chance at a normal life.”
Her concerns are common among parents of special education students, who face struggles different from those of their fellow parents every day.
“We rarely mingle with parents of our children’s classmates, because our children don’t participate in the same events and frankly, our challenges and goals are different from theirs,” Folk said.
“That’s why we decided we needed our own educational network for parents,” said Tonya Kaiser-Witczak, president of the Special Education Parent Teacher Association. SEPTA, which meets on the second Wednesday of every month at Cutchogue East Elementary School, allows parents to share their struggles and experiences.
“Having others there to talk, share, cry, laugh — that’s the best way to get through your child having a learning disability,” Kaiser-Witczak said.
