How do you make a difference? By speaking out and letting your legislators and communities know that parents/guardians are capable and ready to make these decisions for their special needs children.

Speak out! Have a voice in letting your community know...

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in response to a recent news story or editorial. Talk about your family�s experience and educate the public about the services needed to educate special needs children. Support the special needs legislation and encourage others to do so as well.

Need some help? Here are a few tips for writing letters to the editor:

• Each paper has specific rules, so remember to check before you submit. In general, follow these basic guidelines.
• Make it timely and relevant.
• Proofread and spell-check.
• Use your real name.
• Provide contact information (newspapers will want to verify that you wrote the letter)
• Use the newspaper�s online submission form if available.
• Keep the word count around 250.
• Email the letter in the body of the email rather than sending it as an attachment.

Share your story through a commentary or opinion article for your local newspaper. Start a dialogue in your community on these issues by submitting your own article for the newspaper. You don�t have to wait for the newspaper to report on this topic � you can start the conversation yourself.

Need some help? Here are some tips for writing commentary and opinion articles:

• Each paper has specific rules, so remember to check before you submit. In general, follow these basic guidelines.
• Make sure the first sentence/paragraph packs a punch and entices the reader to continue reading.
• Keep the word count between 500 to 700
• Present specific points and stay focused to your topic � avoid tangents.
• Use statistics and facts that support your points.
• Seek to provoke action, dialogue, or debate.