Amber Gilbert

Sped 854: Family and Interprofessional Collaboration in Special Education

Family Interview Assignment

Reflection

Family Interview Assignment

Purpose:

For this assignment, I had to identify a family member of a student with a disability and

interview them about their experiences in working with educational personnel that provides

special education services to their child. I needed to identify the familys role in collaborating

with the educational personnel, the challenges and successes they have experienced, questions

they might still have about special education services, the supports they needed or wished

theyd had, experiences communicating with educational personnel, and advice to educational

personnel about improving the special education collaboration process.

After the interview I had to write a reflection about the insights I learned and any

recommendations I had for improving family-school partnerships, as well as any remaining

questions I had about the collaboration process.

How you addressed the assignment requirements (if relevant)

I chose to interview a family friend that has a son with special needs. The reason I chose to

interview her was because, not only does she have experience dealing with educational

personnel to assure her sons needs, she has also been a general education teacher for the past

twenty-five years. I felt that she would have a unique insight to collaboration from both a

parent and educator perspective.

Amber Gilbert
Sped 854: Family and Interprofessional Collaboration in Special Education
Family Interview Assignment

I had prepared some questions based on the assignment guidelines, but as I was talking with

her I modified some of my questions based on her experiences and insights.

Why you chose to revise (if you did)

There was no revision needed for this assignment.

What you learned from this assignment and its contribution to your development as a special

educator.

Overall, my experience with this assignment was very enjoyable. I am glad the person I chose to

interview allowed me so much insight to both sides of a situation. She explained how she felt as

a parent and advocate for her son, who has multiple special needs, and how difficult it was at

times to collaborate with some teachers she encountered.

When I think back on some of the advice she gave me regarding her experience, it really

opened my eyes to some issues that I may encounter in the future. She reminded me to respect

parents, do my best, and ask for help as an educator when I need it. My biggest take-away from

this assignment was the importance of collaboration in connection with student success.