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Meg Ward

SPED 854

Personal Philosophy Statement

Collaboration is imperative for students with disabilities to achieve meaningful

outcomes in school and postsecondary environments. Bottom line, we need each other.

All stakeholders must have skin in the game. All parties come to the table with unique

strengths, qualifications, and insight. In order for collaboration to work, these outside

parties must merge as one on the basis of partnership. Partnership entails mutual

goals, shared responsibilities, and clear vision for postsecondary outcomes.

Collaboration involves teams coming together to plan and implement effective

strategies and supports. In school, key players in collaboration include the special

education teachers, general education teachers, social workers, counselors,

paraprofessionals, parents, administrators, speech/language therapists,

occupational/physical therapists, and most importantly, the student! A team is

composed of anyone who directly works with the target student and advocates for his or

her successful performance. Often, students are encouraged to lead their own IEP

meetings if they are able. Without the direct involvement of the target student, teams

may experience challenges in providing meaningful support and activity.

As students graduate out of school, they no longer receive IDEA funding or

resources. However, when students qualify for adults services and funding, a team

will transition to include employers, case managers, residential providers, job coaches,

and other agencies. After high school, community-related opportunities, resources, and

funding for adults with disabilities can be very difficult to locate and/or qualify for. In
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postsecondary settings, teams will brainstorm current and future support(s) for the

individual to attain the highest quality of life in terms of employment, residential

opportunities, and community engagement. No matter what the age or life stage, an

individual with disabilities is best served when his or her team seeks to create

opportunities derived from unique strengths, interests, and preferences.

There are several components that must occur for effective collaboration. First,

all stakeholders must be treated as equal members of the team. Whether by education,

experience, or parenting, each member is a professional and should be viewed as

equally valuable. This will generate an atmosphere that enables team members to

share ideas that are welcomed and trusted by all. Team members must develop cultural

competence as they seek to relate and appreciate the various viewpoints and belief

systems of their fellow stakeholders. Dimensions of culture include (but not limited to):

language, space, time, gender roles, education, and autonomy. Second, stakeholders

must value common goals. At the foundation of collaboration, despite cultural value or

personal belief, team members must advocate for mutual goals. At minimum,

stakeholders must mutually value one goal for effective collaboration.

Third, stakeholders must frequently communicate with one another (i.e. regularly

scheduled meetings, phone calls, emails, etc.). In order to ensure that responsibilities

and adequate support are fulfilled, stakeholders must work hard to build relationships

that maximize regular contact. All team members are involved in the participation and

decision-making process. Lastly, stakeholders share resources and accountability of

the end result. Team members must be personally committed to the maintenance of
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meaningful programs, services, and supports. It is important to realize that while

challenges do (and will) arise in collaboration, it is well worth the effort.

Each individual with intellectual and developmental disabilities is so uniquely

fashioned. No two individuals, even with the exact diagnosis, are identical. In the world

of Special Education, we know that services and supports are the most effective when

they are highly individualized and specifically catered to an individuals unparalleled

strengths, interests, and preferences. In the same way, collaboration must model

individualized efforts to provide and create the meaningful support for each student (or

adult) that it involves.