By Nicole Ward, Storyteller/ Data Journalist, Research & Innovation
This article is part of the Dallas Regional Chamber’s (DRC) award-winning Disability Inclusion Toolkit. The toolkit helps companies assess and maximize their inclusion of people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. The toolkit’s data, resources, and best practices are informed by the perspective of experts and people living and working with disabilities.
Parents trying to navigate the education system for children with learning differences will tell you it’s stressful. Dr. Danielle Cohen—known to her clients as Dr. Dani—has been through it with her own child.
“I knew he was dyslexic two years before the school district would test him,” said Dr. Cohen, who has a background in education consulting and teaching. “I kept getting pushback – ‘he’s too young,’ or ‘lots of kids reverse their letters.’”
By second grade, her son still had trouble reading, so the school agreed to test. The conclusion: double deficit dyslexia, which means there are two issues at play – phonological awareness (difficulty processing the sounds that make up words) and naming speed.
“I completely changed my career so that I could support him, but not everyone can do that. So, I developed programming to help parents navigate the process.”
From testing to securing resources, and managing Individual Education Programs and 504 plans—which are the specific plans developed for students with disabilities to remove barriers to regular education—Cohen demystifies a process that can feel like a hill too steep to climb.
“I want to empower parents so they don’t need an advocate or an attorney. My goal is to be fired,” said Dr. Cohen.
With clients across the country, Cohen offers a variety of packages through employers.
“While not directly the responsibility of employers to find disability resources for their employees, the more they can provide information and facilitate connection to those programs, the more supported and connected the employee will feel with the company,” said founder of ConnectIDD Michael Thomas in a DRC blog post. “Moreover, the more a family has external support and programs in place, the better they will perform at work; it’s that simple. Demonstrating this sort of care and support for an employee and their family is an easy win, generating more committed team members”.
It is up to companies to determine how they want to pay for it—either by covering the total or splitting costs with each employee. Some companies also facilitate one-on-one meetings between parents and Dr. Dani, both virtually and in person.
“Right now, 7.5 million kids qualify for special education in the United States, and those parents need to learn the language. They need to learn when to take off their mommy hat and step into the role of advocate. I help parents do that,” said Dr. Cohen.
For more information, visit Dr. Danielle Cohen, LLC’s website.
To access the DRC’s Disability Inclusion Toolkit, visit our website.