Karen Ford Cull
Special Education Advocate and Parent Educator
Hi, I’m Karen Ford Cull 👋
I have three wonderful boys. My oldest is 21 and in college. My middle son is 19 and has Down syndrome. He is an avid movie/TV watcher who loves James Bond and musical theater. My youngest is 14 and is starting high school. My two cats, Marbles and Kiko, sometimes make appearances during my Zoom meetings. I am also a PTA volunteer at district and state level and lead a non-profit called Include CA. I came to work for Undivided in 2021 as a content specialist, having known Lindsay Crain for a while and bonded on our enthusiasm for both inclusive education and for giving parents a voice.
Experience:
I have been navigating my own son’s inclusive education for 13 years, successfully in that he remained in general education most of the time, but along the way I made a lot of mistakes. I want to use that experience to help others.
I have supported families informally for over a decade, as a volunteer for Club 21 Learning & Resource Center and South Bay Down Syndrome Association, and a Board Member of CalTASH for six years, and active in TASH. I have attended (and created) countless conferences, trainings, and presentations on IEPs, inclusive practices and the benefits of inclusive education, self-determination, and Supported Decision Making
My passion is for policy and working collectively to make inclusive education accessible to all Californian kids. I love to find other parent activists who have been working on systemic change in their districts and amplify their story.
In 2020 I joined the Leadership Education in NeuroDiversity (LEND) program as a Family Support fellow which really helped me to develop my skills and think about how to use research to support families. This led me to the COPAA Special Education Advocacy Training SEAT 2 which I completed in 2023 – I am still working on the practicum.
Trainings/Certifications:
- USC/UCLA LEND Fellow in Family Support 2020-2022
- COPAA SEAT 2 (in process)
Specialty:
I want to do IEP advocacy a little differently. What works for me is working with the family way ahead of the IEP, to support parents in creating a vision for their child’s education, and proactively and collaboratively creating an IEP with goals and services that will draw the IEP team into a plan for inclusion. When I can turn around an IEP meeting from contention to an authentic collaboration, that’s a win for me.
I only work for families who are seeking more inclusion, or maintaining an inclusive placement, or seeking to improve the quality of their current inclusive setting.
Most of my clients have cognitive disabilities, Down syndrome and similar conditions, and many have behavioral challenges. My goal is to ensure that while they may be behind their same age peers, they can both develop their foundational skills and at the same time be engaged in their grade level curriculum.
Foundational skills such as reading, writing and pivotal mathematical operations and concepts are often neglected when educators decide to focus on ‘life skills’. At the same time your child needs assistive technology and strategies, accommodations and modifications to enable them to participate in the curriculum without mastering these skills (yet).
- Securing placement in the least restrictive environment
- Writing a Vision Statement
- Crafting better goals/inclusive goals
- Maximizing supports to ensure success in Gen Ed.
- Reading for students with ID/Communication challenges.
- Math – for access to general education
- Advocating for AAC and AT support