Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Shepherd.
Hi Katie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up, I always told everyone I wanted to be a Vet. I grew up at the barn and always dreamed of working with horses. Everything shifted for me in college when I started to volunteer at a hippotherapy barn for children with disabilities. I didn’t spend a ton of time at that barn but knew I had found my real passion. I changed my major from pre-vet to special education and never looked back. I worked in the public school system for ten years in a variety of roles from teaching to administration. Each role was unique and certainly had its challenges but the one thing that never faltered was my love for the students. I am a huge supporter of education, especially teachers who dedicate their lives to kids, but I started to notice some big flaws in our system. For example, oftentimes kids end up in a classroom that might not be the best fit for them as individuals but it’s what is available. Teachers, parents, and kids are making the best out of things at their schools and that just isn’t best practice. Students are entitled to services that best meet their individual needs regardless of openings, budget, staffing, etc.
After having my second son, I decided to stay home and hang up my teaching hat for a while. I absolutely loving staying at home with my boys but realized I still had a drive to help students with disabilities. I had a good friend reach out to me for assistance with her son. He had an Individualized Education Plan, or IEP, and was in a special needs kindergarten classroom. But he was struggling. His mom knew something didn’t seem right but she didn’t know where to start or what questions to ask. I told her to send me his IEP and the data they had collected that year. Instantly there were major red flags. This was a child of average ability – a bright and capable child eager to learn. He had been placed in a self-contained kindergarten classroom, which is one of the more restrictive environments for a child with a disability. So we started asking questions and one thing led to another and we were all sitting around the table at his annual IEP meeting and we uncovered that he hadn’t been receiving his services. Data had been fabricated. He had essentially wasted an entire year in a classroom where no one was looking. I’m really proud to say that this year he is in general education with the right support in place and he is thriving. After that meeting, I decided to start Empower Advocacy LLC. It wasn’t and isn’t about shaming public schools or going after teachers or administrators. It’s really a simple mission of making sure our children are receiving the education they deserve.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It’s been a pretty smooth road! I don’t have a gigantic business and that’s okay. I didn’t set out for this to be a full-time job – my full-time job is being a mom to my boys. I started Empower because I wanted to help parents help their kids. The hardest part has been getting my name out there. There are a lot of really amazing advocates available to parents already with years and years under their belts so sometimes it’s hard to get your foot in the door. However, I felt there was room in the industry for Empower. Our goals are a little bit different in that we don’t want to attend every meeting with you for the rest of your child’s educational career. We want to work with you to educate you in special education, the law, and what rights you and your child have. And then we hope to fix whatever problems there are and mend fences with your school-based team. Parents are a huge part of an IEP team and we want to teach you how to have your voice heard on the team.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Empower Advocacy is a business geared towards helping parents advocate for their children in the school system. Special education is a very complicated and overwhelming road that some parents walk. We don’t want them to do it alone. As a previous educator, I have sat on the other side of the table. I look back on that time and I can only hope I did my due diligence to explain things the best I could to parents. I hope I made them feel comfortable and confident and part of the team. But having sat in on hundreds of IEP meetings, I have seen so many times that it often is not a team environment. Parents walk in and are told everything their child cannot do and then told how the school plans to address that. It shouldn’t be that way. Parents are the experts in their children. They are the most valuable resource on an IEP team. Empower aims to give parents the tools to advocate for their kids and really be part of the IEP team. We offer a variety of services that include consults, record reviews, help with communication between parents and schools, meeting prep and of course attending meetings to advocate for your child. We are really proud of our work and what we do to help parents feel confident and knowledgeable in meetings.
What are your plans for the future?
I am looking forward to watching Empower grow. I am about to go on maternity leave but have hired an amazing woman with an incredible career in education to help me during leave. My hope is that she can become my partner in this and we can help more families as they navigate special education.
Pricing:
- Consults: Free
- Other Services: $75/hour
- Meeting Attendance: $100/hour
Contact Info:
- Email: katie@empoweradvocacygroup.com
- Website: www.empoweradvocacygroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweradvocacy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpowerAdvocacyLLC/
Image Credits:
Crystal Barbee Photography Victoria Nielson Photography
