Leads: Michelle Lim and Lindsey Robertson

As part of the Community Subgroup, the SPEDucator Project took the lead in initiating and building community through the @Some1Special808 twitter page.  The page now has 140 followers and is used to share about the SPEDucators, the project, and to support community around disabilities and special education. 

I love it!!!!! The support I get each month is more than the 21 years I’ve worked in the special education department. They give me hope, understanding, the desire to continue pouring my heart into my job. They give knowledge and confidence the I am a good enough teacher.

I feel very much emotionally supported by this project. I also feel inspired to want to do more even though I am overwhelmed with my own life. The people in this program motivate me to want to do and be more for the field of special education.

The sense of community and the feeling that I’m not in this alone is honestly the biggest thing. I always thought that our school was just awful but now I see that it’s everywhere. Misery loves company I guess!

Being a part of the speducator project has given me a sense of community and belonging. Even more, it has given me authenticity for my role as a sped teacher.

I have taken away how our meeting make me feel. I usually leave feeling recharged and ready to tackle issues. The energy and positivity of the group give me that. I try to take some of the activities and ideas and share them with my department to share the positivity. It is also great to have a network to bounce ideas off of or brainstorm an issue I am having.

I have someone who listens to me getting frustrated.

Words cannot describe my love for this project. Never dreamt of something like this happening. So touched by this!

Being part of the SPEDucator Project has given me a place to share my passion. Sometimes at my school I feel like I'm on a crusade with no one behind me. I try to advocate for our students and sped teachers, but other teachers either are new and don't want to speak up or they are "over it" and are fine coasting by without calling out the issues. This projects makes me feel like I'm not crazy and that our system is broken and it's up to us to fix it for our students. I finally feel like I'm surrounded by people who see what I see and feel what I feel.

I feel heard

It has helped me to connect with others and to really validate what I have been thinking about and feeling. It has also helped me to act on those thoughts and feelings so that I can keep working my own passion and work toward helping other special education teachers do the same.

It's very validating to hear the experiences, perspectives, and stories of my peer SPEDucators.

Building community by talking with other speducators who are like-minded and passionate individuals as well as finding my voice to advocate for my students and myself at my school.

I feel like I have people who understand what I go through.

Being a part of the SPEDucator project has made me feel empowered to stand up for the rights of both the teachers and the students.