"Thank you for everything!"

Even though parents usually know their children best, it still can be very intimidating to speak up for what we feel they need. Especially when schools are not naturally set up for students to succeed in a neurodiverse affirming way. Because of this, we knew it was crucial to have someone support us throughout our IEP journey. Working with Lauren at Empowered Ohio was THE best decision for our family. Lauren has a vast wealth of knowledge when it comes to special education,  including but not limited to familiarity with state and federal education law, knowing parent and student rights, interpreting progress reports, and communicating and negotiating more efficiently. Most importantly though, the thing that sets Lauren apart from other advocates is that she didn’t just work for us, she worked with us. Her goal was never to fight our battles for us. She armed us with info and worked to empower us so that we could be better advocates for our child. She helped us find our voice so we can continue to use it more confidently and effectively. 

Ashley, Parent, Columbus

I have really enjoyed working with Lauren.  We desire the same outcome, that our shared student and family get what they need and deserve.  With this goal in mind, Lauren listened attentively to both triumphs and challenges that we were experiencing across various educational environments and worked with me and the team to brainstorm and develop effective and manageable solutions.  I felt that she was not only an advocate for our students and families, but ultimately valued and supported my perspectives as the teacher with whom the child spends the majority of the academic day.

Mary, Teacher, Columbus