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Counseling on Victimization and Bullying

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LAURA BUCKNER: Hi there. I'm Laura Buckner. I am the mother of David Buckner, who was diagnosed-- he's a 30-year-old man now-- my first born, diagnosed when he was three months old with a rare disease that we'd never heard of before. And he was given a pretty grim prognosis. You know, we were told he likely wouldn't walk or talk. It was very gloom and doom. And I'm really happy to say that so much of who he is today is none of that gloom and doom. But let me tell you, the best experts, the ones who have made the biggest difference in my life, my son's life, our family's life, have been the other people who were on the same road we're on. Doesn't have to be the exact same diagnosis. You can learn from lots of other people that have different diagnoses, but so are navigating the special ed system, who are navigating the Social Security system, who are figuring out the world of work, or the world of college, or whatever it is you envision for your child's adult life. People on the same road you're on, they've figured that out. Go find them. Get connected.

In this video from the Straight Talk series, Laura Buckner highlights the value of building connections among families of students with significant disabilities. These relationships strengthen the sense of community, provide emotional support, and allow for the sharing of useful experiences. Buckner promotes collaboration among families as a powerful tool to face common challenges and foster high expectations for all students.