VOICES FOR CHOICE.

My daughter Byanca has Down syndrome. She started attending school at two years and eight months old. I was a little worried since it was harder for her to communicate. The Head Start Program was good for her.

Our son was adopted internationally as a preschooler. He is hard of hearing and had no intervention until age four, so his receptive language development was significantly delayed. His expressive language is further complicated by a cleft palate. Immediately upon meeting him, we began using sign language, a communication tool that carried its challenges for him due to another disability, radial dysplasia, or a clubbed arm.

My name is Tera Myers and I am the proud mother of three wonderful children: Samuel, Lynsey and Maggie. While all three of my children benefited and took part in lobbying for school choice in our state, it is Samuel that I would like to highlight in our story.

When I was 37 weeks pregnant, I received the devastating news that my firstborn, Davidson, was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. There were many questions and concerns that flooded my mind at that time. How were we going to help him? Would he speak? Would he run? Would he learn to drive?

Our son Easton is 14 years old and has autism. He was in the public school setting for Pre-K, K and 1st grade. He was then moved from a mainstreamed classroom to a contained classroom at a different school.