Georgia Parent Mentors strive to give voice to the realities, challenges, and rewards, of being the parent of a child with a disability.

We also strive to give voice to school staff who are working to foster the learning, development, and brilliance of children with disabilities.

And, we work to provide a voice in our communities for people whose voices might not ever be heard — those people who have trouble being part of their community due to mobility, intellectual impairments, mental health or other hidden challenges, who need public support for inclusion in the world outside their school or home.

So, here are some of our voices…

Telling our firsthand accounts …

Sharing Our Stories

During our annual Georgia Parent Mentor Kickoff Conference, parent mentors will have the opportunity to hone their  public speaking skills and learn how to “Share their Story” in the most effective way with the help of a professional storyteller (and mom) Debbie Weston From

More about Debbie:

Debbie has been telling stories all her life.  Listening to her family elders tell stories is one of the activities she misses most from her childhood.

Debbie’s philosophy is that storytelling creates community.  By allowing ourselves to listen to other peoples stories, we become linked to them.  Even if that story is only a simple exchange at the grocery store.  The contact and connection has been made.

Debbie has successfully produced and hosted “The Flying Cow Radio Show” since March 2008.  Debbie also works for The Craddock Center (www.craddockcenter.org) as an artist specialist.  She happily shares stories with children in several head start centers.  She has facilitated workshops for education majors, teachers, parents, students (aged 8 to 18) and senior citizens.  She has also shared stories with a variety of audiences including schools, churches and festivals.

She is currently working on a project that involves collecting stories from parents about their unique perspective on parenting.  Debbie will then retell those stories through a performance in April 2015.  She serves as the Georgia Liasion for the National Storytelling Network and is also on the board of the special interest group YES! (Youth Education Storytellers Alliance) that promotes and encourages storytelling in our youth.

Link to her website below:

On Weds. Sept. 10 Debbie will be working with parent mentors in an after dinner workshop.

Then, throughout the conference we will be recording parent mentor stories as part of our “Sharing Our Stories” web series

Recording Sessions will be offered:

Sept. 10

Wednesday evening : 8:45 – 9:30

Sept. 11

Thursday morning: 7:30 – 8:45

Thursday morning: 11:45 – 12:30