Staff Advocacy Secures Student’s Support Needs 

Christina is a student who is deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) and has other disabilities that cause challenging behaviors. She attends high school with a DHH program. Christina's parent contacted Disability Rights Florida because Christina's school claimed they could not meet her needs for a one-to-one paraprofessional and were going to place Christina in a more restrictive environment. However, this new setting would not have DHH instruction, which is crucial to her learning.

After attending multiple IEP meetings, our staff successfully advocated for Christina to remain in her current placement with a deaf American Sign Language interpreter and a one-to-one paraprofessional. Christina will graduate from high school and attend a post-secondary transition program that teaches about daily living activities, building community relationships, and employment skills.