​Hi my name is Imtiaz Abir. I am 16 years old and am from Brooklyn, NY. I go to City Polytechnic High School. I am going to 11th grade. I have 4 younger siblings. My family is from Bangladesh. I am Muslim. I love watching Marvel movies. During my free time I ride my bike. I joined Disability Champions so I could connect with more people like me and keep myself busy for the summer.
When I was in elementary school the DOE kept me in the same bridge classroom until third grade. That means when I was in a classroom with kindergarteners, first graders, second graders, and third graders for three years. My parents had no idea that I wasn’t learning anything. When I was in third grade my parents realized something was wrong and decided to talk to the school. The school was not doing anything for me, so my parents got a special education lawyer to fight for the services I need and the correct school I belonged in. 
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They finally put me in a local elementary school in third grade. I felt like I was learning a lot. The only issue was that I was behind in my learning. I had trouble keeping up with each of my grade due to my delayed learning. This wasn't considered a issue for the school since I was placed in a special education classroom. They didn’t think that I would ever learn the information, they just thought that I didn’t remember or understand what was being taught. I had a paraprofessional who did not know a lot of the content. They just sat next to me and I never usually asked for help, so they thought that I knew what I was doing. The special education lawyer didn’t stop fighting for my services. He made sure I got qualified to receive an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services from the DOE. This was difficult for me because the DOE did not provide ABA services. They had to hire someone from a private agency and pay them out of pocket. Since the DOE didn’t want to spend extra money on outside services, my lawyer had to fight hard to make sure I received them, since my paraprofessional wasn’t good enough. I needed someone who could teach me in a different ways by breaking things down, without disrupting the class.
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    I finally started receiving ABA therapy in school and at home in fourth grade. My paraprofessional at school was replaced with an ABA therapist. They did a great job making sure that I understood what the teacher was teaching and retaught me things. The ABA therapists also helped me make friends by teaching me conversational skills. I am still receiving ABA therapy. When classes were remote, my ABA therapist was the reason I graduated from eighth grade. I didn't even know how to use the computer or zoom. Although it was COVID-19, my therapist came to my house to set up my computer with a webcam to make sure I'm able to attend classes remotely. They made sure that I understood everything and completed all of my classwork/homework. When I transitioned from middle school to high school, my therapist helped me during the transition. I was no longer in a special education classroom and was put in an Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) classroom. I needed a lot of extra help since I had to stay on top of all my classes in order to pass my regents exams. 
    Reflecting back on all of the experiences, I actually didn't have any idea about what was going on with my environment. That is why my parents didn’t know about the type of class I was in until third grade. I recently learned what my situation was. I was not involved in IEP meetings before, but I am now since I started high school. Now I am thinking that the public school system does not care a lot about students with disabilities. ABA is working well for me. It may not work for everyone. I am learning to become more independent now because of ABA. It is sad that a lot of families aren’tt aware that they can hire lawyers to help them fight against the DOE and receive services that are beneficial for their children’s disability. We need to raise awareness about these issues. I want to help other children with autism get the services they might need.
Advocates are important because they raise their voices on topics people might be scared to talk about their struggles. They make a difference in the world by fighting for equality for everyone and making sure people get what they deserve. We should support each other no matter what race, gender, or disability we have or don’t have. 
Having a positive self-image is important for all individuals, especially advocates. People learn that what others think about them is not important. What they think about themselves it helps them succeed in life, if they have positive views of themselves. We can use positive self images to think about ways to improve our advocacy capabilities, and our outreach to other individuals by not being shy or afraid to speak up about yourself and show confidence. The benefits of viewing myself in a positive way by making a lot of friend, and teaching myself have a nice conversation with each other, and don’t be so quiet. By teaching them how to communicate with eachother, show ways to make good friends, and have respect.
My goal for my future is to pass all my regents exam. The exams I wanna pass are 
math, ELA, science, and social studies. I one’s that are hard for me I wanna try to work on it. The ones that are hard for me are social studies and ELA. Those are hard for me because both has an essay and a lot of multiple choice to work on. It also hard for me to find an answer from the text. The ways that I can solve to pass those two exam is by watching a youtube video that is helpful for me to pass. I can also write some of notes down to help remember stuffs. 

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Transition Story

My name is Dillan Artis. I am a student on the Autism Spectrum. I have always been in a special needs setting, from Early Intervention to Special Education schools. I recently graduated with a Regent diploma from Abraham Lincoln High School. I am a 2023 High School Graduate. I’m also a former student member of the District 75 community.

Back in middle school, I was able to be placed in a collaborative teaching setting. Although I was told that I would graduate from high school with a special education diploma, I graduated with a Regents diploma. I did this to show students in Special Education that it can be possible to graduate like any other student, through hard work, dedication, and determination, with or without limitations. I feel that special ed students don’t get enough encouragement and recognition for their accomplishments that they overcome. Having a strong team, being motivated, and being treated equally with respect is all I would want people to help others do. I knew I wanted to be acknowledged as a student with equal rights as any other, which is why I treat others equally.

My journey isn’t over. As I am now approaching a big transition in my life, my emotions are very high. I’m excited and worried at the same time. I look forward to entering adulthood mainly independently, and it is impacting how I learn to become more vocal for myself. I will have the opportunity to advocate more for myself. I have come a long way, and I’ve always had a great team by my side, advocating and helping me get all that was required for me to succeed and be independent. That’s what I’m truly grateful for. Now it’s my turn to continue to pass the baton for myself and others.

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My name is Amina Orzueva and I am an incoming senior who is completely blind in both eyes. My three years in high school have taught me how to advocate for myself, learn to accept my disability, and help me become confident regarding my disability. I strongly believe in independence and advocating for yourself and others.
During my eighth-grade year, the pandemic started, and we were remote for the rest of the year. It continued till the spring of my freshman year. During the spring of my freshman year, students had the chance to go in person or remote. I decided to go in person so I can familiarize myself to my new school. Also, I wanted freshman year to be the last year having a one-to-one paraprofessional also known as a para. It worked out for me because there were not too many students, so I did not feel as awkward, and it was easier to learn the layout of the school. That year, I got cleared to be without a para.
            Sophomore year was my first year without a para and it has been the best thing throughout my whole academic life. At first, it was frustrating because all the staff would ask me if I had a para, and they would suggest that I should get one. But as time went on they all realized that I am able to walk around independently without a sighted person always present next to me. Students also started to interact with me more because there was not an adult hovering over me the entire day. I finally felt “normal” because I was able to do what everybody else was doing. Not having a para also improved my self-advocacy skills because usually when teachers see an adult with me, they ask the adult directly about what I need. But this year, there was no adult so they had to talk to me, and I had to explain to a sighted person how all my assistive technology works and how I can fully participate.
            Junior year was much easier in terms of socializing and advocating but I was struggling with time management. I feel like since I complete all my work online, I would do it last minute or right before the marking period ended. At this point, all the staff members were comfortable with me not having a para and they started to treat me exactly like the other students. Students also invited me to hang out outside of school which helped my mental health and acceptance of my disability.
            If you are currently in middle or high school, make sure you attend all of your IEP meetings. Even if you do not feel comfortable to speak just yet, you can disagree with any of the suggestions the adults make about your life and academic journey. If you get support for certain tasks, be sure to speak up if they are helping you too much. Before you head off to college, figure out what works best for you and what accommodations you need. Also, reach out to the Office for Student with Disabilities at the college or colleges that you are interested in.