Anakalia Martinez
ECI Transition Advocate
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Anakalia Martinez
ECI Transition Advocate
- What is your position at Brighton Center and how long have you worked for Brighton?
- I am an early intervention specialist and I have been with Brighton for 3 years.
- What is one of the fondest memories you have while working with a child in the field at Brighton?
- Being able to watch one of my kiddos take their first steps during my visit with them.
- What is the best part of your job?
- The best part about my job is truly just watching the children grow. They are the highlight of my day and knowing that I am able to help them in some aspect brings me joy.
- What do you love most about working with children and their families?
- Building relationships with them, being able to learn more about the child and their family. I love being able to watch everyone evolve.
- What inspires you?
- The children I service inspire me daily.
- What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
- My first name is Hawaiian, but I am NOT Hawaiian.
- You must sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
- "I want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys
- Create a hashtag to describe Brighton.
- #WeCanDoIt
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 Advocate:
- "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 Advocate 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."
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."
Girasol Margain
Special Education Consultant
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Girasol Margain
Special Education Consultant
- Experience
- Girasol possesses a wealth of knowledge and skill when it comes to being a Special Education Consultant because like the families that she serves, she has walked in their shoes in almost every way imaginable. With 3 of her own children receiving special education services, Girasol can relate to families who are trying to navigate the system and can draw on her own personal experience to guide families during the process. Girasol has been working with children with special needs since 2000 and is tenacious in her quest to helping every child get the education they need and deserve to be successful.
- Tenure at Brighton
- Girasol has extensive experience working with children with special needs for over 17 years and has been with Brighton since 2007.
- What Girasol loves about being a Special Education Consultant:
- "I LOVE that I can have parents lean on Brighton through our Advocate Team when they are in a crisis and when everyone has refused to hear their concerns. Every case is unique because every child is different. That’s the beauty of children. I truly enjoy backing up the families by guiding them to find their own advocacy voice as they stand up for their child's safety and educational rights."
- One of Girasol's proudest moments as an Education Consultant is:
- "One of my proudest moments was advocating for a Military family who had a 3 yr old son with Down Syndrome at that time. Both parents attended Brighton's Special Education 101 Training Workshop and indicated that they had done much research on their child's rights and were getting ready for their first meeting with the school. I met with them prior to that meeting and listened to their heavy hearts as they shared not only their concerns about their son's education but the dreams they had for their son as well. The school he was about to start was recommending to place their child in a contained classroom where he would have little to no interaction with typically developing children. I attended the ARD Meeting alongside the family and together we pushed the school to consider an alternative solution and allow their son the ability to show what he could do before we modified his environment and curriculum. He started school on his 3rd birthday and after a month or so I received a phone call from the parents stating how happy they were and how pleases they were to have me attend their meeting. Their son was not only thriving in school, he had made friends and was enjoying his 1st year in school! I have continued to support this family each year when his annual meeting comes up and I am always excited to hear all his progress and accomplishments. It’s great to hear the teachers say how surprised they are he can do all the same things the other kids in the class can do."
- If Girasol could offer one piece of advice to a family who has a child struggling in school or enrolled in Special Education, it would be:
- "You are NOT alone! We are here for you. Whether its to teach you the Special Education Process, to answer questions, to attend the meeting with you, to provide you with an action plan for steps to follow on your own, to help you strengthen your advocacy skills. We are here for you as Consultants as well as side by side Parents of children with disabilities standing together."
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."
Nikte Gonzalez
SESS Program Coordinator
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Nikte Gonzalez
SESS Program Coordinator
210-322-9484
- As the Program Assistant for Brighton's Advocate Team, Nikte is the first person our families will speak to. She will work with you to understand your situation and how our team might be able to best help you. She will then connect you to your assigned Brighton Advocate.
- Tenure at Brighton
- Nikte has been providing critical services for the Special Education Services program since 2018.
- What Nikte loves most about being a member of Brighton's Special Education Services Team:
- " I love being able to help families process their initial feelings of helplessness and confusion when dealing with a new diagnosis and a new way of navigating the school system. As the parent of a young child with special needs, I can relate to these feelings and can provide the initial shoulder to lean on emotionally before they get down to business with our advocates."
- One of Nikte's proudest moments working as a member of the Special Education Services Team:
- "One of the proudest moments happened after a mom had met with one of our advocates. I had spoken to her about her situation, scheduled her appointment and gave her guidance as well as some other partner resources she was not aware of. After the meeting, she came up to me and asked if I had been the one on the phone, I said I was and she hugged me and started thanking me for all my help. She mentioned she had tried other organizations but nobody could help her get the help her son desperately needed in school and part of that was the language barrier (she spoke only Spanish). She thanked me for patiently explaining the process and answering her questions before her appointment. That single interaction solidified the love I have for what I do and everything that Brighton Center stands for."
- If Nikte could offer one piece of advice to a family who has a child struggling in school or enrolled in Special Education, it would be:
- "Don’t be afraid of labels! Your child deserves for you to put your ego aside and be okay with whatever you need to get done to get them the services that will help them thrive. These “labels” are so important for their (and your) mental health and for their future. You’re not alone in this, there is a sea of people out there navigating the same sea and having the same doubts you are, and we’re here to help you steer, all you need to do is reach out!"
