Seasoned Austin-Area
I am happy to speak to groups – big and small – about raising a child with disabilities. Please give me a shout if you are interested. I can talk about whatever makes sense for your group, including my memoir, “Meredith & Me: A mother and daughter on a profoundly different journey.” Thank you!
Possible topics:
- My experiences in raising a child with intellectual disabilities, including interactions with relatives, friends and teachers.
- Seeing the world though my daughter’s eyes and realizing how just getting through her day physically can be an accomplishment.
- The wonderful, awful, beautifully complicated world of a sibling.
- Who is your muse? My whole life changed when I began writing about Meredith. I’ll share some of my essays and provide hands-on editing in a workshop format.
- Explaining my activism related to the Austin Independent School District. I’ll share yarns and how far I went to see that my daughter was not locked out of her middle school’s back door every morning while the rest of the student body streamed in the front door. An unedited journey.
Some of My Speaking Engagements
The University of Texas at Austin — Regular speaker at special education classes
Early Childhood Intervention — Speaker on family experience
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired — Continuing education workshop
Austin School Board — Testified on why schools in AISD need more teacher aides for special education classrooms
University Interscholastic League— Journalism workshop for high school students
Region XIII — Keynote for continuing education workshop for teachers
Westminster Retirement Community — Speaker on “Meredith & Me”
Texas Tech University — Speaker series
St.Edward’s University — Speaking to students preparing for special education careers
Book groups — A more intimate talk about “Meredith & Me”
Austin Woman’s Club — Speaker on “Meredith & Me”
Lake Austin Spa – Speaker at the “Wise Women” author series