Juan Hernandez
Special Education Services Manager
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Juan Hernandez
Special Education Services Manager
- Experience
- Juan has been advocating for children with special needs since 2010 when both of his children became enrolled in special education. He understands the special education laws and all the ways they can individually apply to each unique child. Juan is especially skilled at helping parents understand these laws and training them on how to incorporate them into a successful educational plan for their child. Juan has a B.S. from Kaplan University and a M.Ed. in Special Education from UTSA. Juan has served in the US Army for over 21 years.
- Tenure at Brighton
- Juan has been a Special Education Advocate at Brighton since January 2015.
- What Juan loves most about being a Special Education Consultant:
- "My favorite thing about being an advocate is helping families that are just like mine. My family has been told "no" plenty of times from their school. We have felt the rejection of being told not to come back to places or that my children can't participate in something because of their special needs. To have the opportunity to help other families face those same issues and ensure that their getting the education and resources provided to them that they have a legal right to is extremely rewarding."
- One of Juan's most proudest moments as an Education Consultant is:
- "There are too many proud moments to narrow down to just one, but the way our team approaches each child's situation is one thing that stands out to me. Brighton's Special Education Advocate Team critically analyzes each child's education and behavioral data and ensures that the child is the center of the process. This child-centered and data driven approach has made our working relationships with school districts, military bases, attorneys, and other non-profits collaborative and positive which helps ensure a successful outcome for the child we are representing."
- If Juan could offer one piece of advice to a family who has a child struggling in school or enrolled in Special Education, it would be:
- "Never give up. The key is doing your research and reaching out to others in your shoes that have been through it. Knowledge in special education terminology and the process is power and finding the right support system, including a special education advocate, can be key to being able to push through when all seems hopeless."
Jamie Despada
Special Education Consultant
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Jamie Despada
Special Education Consultant
- Experience
- Tenure at Brighton
- What Jamie loves most about being a Special Education Consultant
- One of Juan's most proudest moments as an Education Consultant is:
- If Jamie could offer one piece of advice to a family who has a child struggling in school or enrolled in Special Education, it would be:
Alejandro “Alex” Martinez
Special Education Consultant
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Alejandro “Alex” Martinez
Special Education Consultant
- Experience
- Alex has been working with children in Special Education since 2012 when he started as a Special Education teacher. As a teacher he experienced the many ways that the Special Education System could better serve children and families and knew that as a Consultant he could be a part of making the system better while helping children get the education they deserved. Alex has a B.A. from St. Edward's University, is certified to teach Special Education in Texas and is passionate about using his experience and knowledge to help families in the San Antonio community. He also LOVES tacos.
- Tenure at Brighton:
- Alex has been a Special Education Consultant with Brighton since 2018.
- What Alex loves most about being a Special Education Consultant:
- "I love working collaboratively with parents and schools in creating meaningful solutions to complex situations in hopes of enriching a child’s educational and life experience."
- One of Alex's most proudest moments as an Education Consultant is:
- "One of the first children that I represented as a Brighton Center Consultant involved attending a high school ARD meeting for a medically fragile, non-verbal student with an intellectual disability. Historically our program doesn’t take on a lot of high school cases, but after hearing mom’s story and trusting her maternal instinct that something was wrong, we created a plan for getting answers from the school. Our first ARD meeting with the school lasted four hours in which we discovered that her son’s speaking device had not been operational for the first three months of school. Remember, this is a child that requires an augmented speech devices to learn and communicate his needs. Needless to say mom was devastated at hearing the news that her child was denied the ability learn and express himself, and it was during that meeting that mom and I planted the seed for establishing a robust plan for ensuring that her son would not have to experience another day without a voice. As a result of that first ARD meeting, not only were we able to establish appropriate and compensatory services for my her son, but we also uncovered this particular school’s failure to provide an appropriate education to other children as well, which they were also held accountable for by the district."
- If Alex could offer one piece of advice to a family who has a child struggling in school or enrolled in Special Education, it would be:
- "Knowledge is your greatest tool in the ongoing process of securing appropriate special education services for your child. You will always be your child’s biggest advocate, and it’s never too late to learn about laws and procedures specifically designed to protect your and your child’s rights."
Renae Forchione
Special Education Consultant
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Renae Forchione
Special Education Consultant
- Experience
- Renae, like her clients, has a child with disabilities and has had to navigate her way through the special education process. Renae has over 16 years of teaching experience as a general education teacher, where she helped identify students for special education and provided individualized instruction and support to these students. Renae has been on the other side of ARD meetings as a public school instructor where she has sat on ARD committees. Renae holds her bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies, emphasis in Education from San Diego State University and a master's degree in Education, Literacy Specialist.
- Tenure at Brighton
- Renae is our newest member of the advocate team but comes to Brighton with extensive experience as a general education teacher for the past 16 years.
- What Renae loves about being a Special Education Consultant:
- "I love being able to be there for families and helping them in having a voice for their child's educational journey. Being able to understand the challenges that these families face and helping support, encourage, and guide them through the special education process is very rewarding to me."
- One of Renae's proudest moments as an Education Consultant is:
- If Renae could offer one piece of advice to a family who has a child struggling in school or enrolled in Special Education, it would be:
- "Lean on support! You don't have to figure it all out on your own. Gather as many resources as possible. Seek out others that have similar experiences as your child/family, learn special education terminology, and have a consultant to help guide you through what can seem like a very intimidating process. Having the right support system can truly make all the difference in the world to a family with a child with disabilities."
