My name is Jana Prince; I work for an agency called IMPACT, a behavioral service center and I have a disability so Families Helping Families
is a great tool for me both professionally and personally. I only wish I would have known about them sooner. I reached out to them recently because I needed help with a family I was working with regarding a 504 Plan and I had little knowledge of how I could help. Luckily, I called Families Helping Families of Jefferson and they were a great resource. I spoke to Ms. Castaneda who was kind enough to give me all the information I needed and much more.
The family I needed help with was facing some challenges at the child’s school regarding his accommodations and implementation of his 504
Plan. His behavior was affecting his academics and his parents wanted to have him reevaluated for more services. I was unsure of how to begin this process and wanted to ensure the family would receive the proper assistance needed to have the reevaluation completed. I talked with a co-worker and she suggested I contact FHF for assistance. Ms. Castaneda sent me links to amazing resources and explained how a 504 Plan works. She walked me through it step by step.
We have begun the process of having the student reevaluated and it has helped the family tremendously. If it had not been for the help of Ms. Castaneda and FHF, this family would have never received the great service which has been provided. I look forward to working with Ms. Castaneda and FHF in the future.
Since Ms. Castaneda provided me with this support, I stayed in touch with her and eventually scheduled a date to meet in person. During our meeting, I learned more about what FHF does and how they help families directly on so many levels including school, medical, community, and more. I had no idea of the depth of their support to families. One thing that I learned is that they provide training free of charge to parents,
professionals, and youth with disabilities. The training is both in person and online; this is great for me because I am at work most days and I can join in on the training opportunities than.
As a professional with cerebral palsy, it gives me joy to have an agency that respects, understands and acknowledges those with disabilities. I appreciate everything FHF does for my clients and me.
