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The Path I Never Expected
If someone had told me 30 years ago that I’d be sitting in a room with our Senator, advocating for education and civil rights, I would...
Lanya McKittrick
4 days ago2 min read
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Why We Must Protect the U.S. Department of Education: A Parent’s Plea
For weeks, I haven’t been able to sleep. Since January, the fear of what’s happening to public education—and especially special...
Lanya McKittrick
5 days ago4 min read
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The Rapid Unraveling of Disability Protections: What's Happening and What's Next
I have never been someone who speaks about anything remotely political. It makes me uncomfortable, and I don’t like placing blame. But I...
Lanya McKittrick
Feb 185 min read
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From Diagnosis to Discovery: Learning to Feel Again
Life can change in an instant, and for me, that moment came during what I thought was a routine eye exam. My son’s diagnosis with Usher...
Lanya McKittrick
Oct 21, 20245 min read
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Redefining Halloween Magic: How Our Family Made the Holiday Work for Us
A few weeks ago I was featured in Parents Magazine, sharing my tips for a more inclusive Halloween . I shared a lot of tips from how to...
Lanya McKittrick
Oct 14, 20245 min read
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Reframing my Outlook: Celebrating Usher Syndrome Awareness Day 2024
Every third Saturday of September marks Usher Syndrome Awareness Day, and this year, it falls on September 21, 2024. This day always...
Lanya McKittrick
Sep 17, 20244 min read
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The Importance of Family Support in Special Education
In this blog I describe some of the benefits of family involvement in special education - one of my favorite topics and a focus of my resear
Lanya McKittrick
Sep 17, 20245 min read
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Getting Back on the Horse: Lessons in emotion, connection, and unbridled love
Last night I was finally ready - ready to get back on my horse - literally and figuratively. I moved out of my ranch back in December to...
Lanya McKittrick
Aug 5, 20246 min read
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The Remote Learning Reality for Students who are Deafblind
As a research analyst at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, I've researched school/district response to the pandemic. I've...
Lanya McKittrick
Sep 17, 20204 min read
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Usher Syndrome Awareness Day 2020
September 19 is Usher Syndrome Awareness Day. It’s always a day that causes me to reflect on all that I am thankful for. Like many of...
Lanya McKittrick
Sep 15, 20203 min read
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Remote Learning for Students who are Deafblind
I was asked to share my experiences and perspectives about remote learning for children who are deafblind, like my son Dalton....
Lanya McKittrick
May 24, 20201 min read
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Importance of Family-to-Family Support
Today I started the day in tears in my car, a reminder of the long emotional few weeks our family has been through. A few months ago, our...
Lanya McKittrick
Jan 31, 20203 min read
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Guest podcast with Portland State University
As part of my efforts to help more families dealing with Usher syndrome, I was happy to be interviewed by Professor Amy Parker of...
Lanya McKittrick
Dec 1, 20191 min read
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IEP Experiences Podcast
I’m excited to share my podcast about raising two sons with Usher syndrome. In my first episode, I tell you a little about my family, and...
Lanya McKittrick
Nov 29, 20191 min read
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Presenting research at the DbI Network of Americas conference
I had the privilege of attending and presenting at the first-ever Network of the Americas Conference sponsored by Deafblind International...
Lanya McKittrick
Oct 31, 20192 min read
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Teaching Self-Determination Skills to Students with Visual Impairments
A link to my talking about the research study I did on self-determination.
Lanya McKittrick
Nov 4, 20171 min read
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