Northern New Mexico Special Education

Advocacy
NNMSEA
Fall 2010

NNMSEA Mission
To promote understanding and awareness of grade K-
12 Special Education rights and responsibilities by
providing educational resources to empower New
Mexico families, caregivers, educators, and
administrators.

NNMSEA Goals
• To continue to hold Community Meetings & Workshops on at least
a monthly basis to offer educational curricula to the Special Education (SpEd)
Community (we have held 5 workshops in Taos since July 25, 2010),
• To continue to host guest speakers and presenters at community
events to provide access to additional expertise in SpEd services,
• To open and staff a Learning Resource Center (LRC) in Taos so
parents can regularly access SpEd materials, online trainings, and learning
opportunities,
• To hold our Annual Film Fundraiser, beginning December 2010 - a
multi-film screening of special education related film productions, and
• To support learning and collaboration between families, caregivers,
educators, and administrators in any way we can for the benefit of the
children of the community.

NNMSEA - Who We Are

NNMSEA is currently a volunteer group of parents, family members, and
caregivers of Special Education students. We have local, statewide, and
national experience working with children, educators, agencies,
lawmakers, and medical professionals to improve and secure services for
our differently-abled children. We want to help other families, caregivers,
educators, and administrators learn more about Special Education services
and more effectively access resources for the children in their care. We
welcome participation by all members of our community and look forward
to helping community members educate and empower themselves.
Each of our meetings and events are announced via public service announcements
on 6 local radio stations, through local newspaper calendars and/or articles, and by
meeting fliers which are distributed to 36 regional organizations via fax, and to
dozens of local businesses in person. We issue occasional national press releases
and maintain regular contact with state-wide advocacy organizations. NNMSEA is
currently seeking program and staff funding and fiscal sponsorship.

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Linda Carvalho is the parent of 4 differently-abled children ranging in age from 4-25
years. Linda is a member of the Taos County ARC Human Rights Committee. She was
a public educator in Florida for 4 years, focusing in early childhood intervention and has
been involved in Special Education access and rights for 22 years. She has 20+ years
fundraising and organizational development experience, including 5 years on nonprofit
Boards of Directors. Linda holds a BA in Human Development from Eckerd College and
has completed MA-level studies in Special Education at the University of South Florida.

Heather Rowley is a parent of a 10th-grade Special Education student in the Taos school
district and has been learning about the SpEd process for 8+ years by meeting with
advocates and SpEd attorneys and through independent research. Heather’s non-profit
and business experience, passion for education, and her dedication to the northern NM
communities inspire her to help others learn how to best advocate for their children’s
rights. Heather has 22 years experience in organic agriculture and has been a small
business owner in the Taos area for 16 years. Heather holds a BUS from University of
NM and will achieve a MA in Rhetoric and Writing from UNM in May 2011.

Maxine Roybal is a Peñasco, NM parent of a Special Education student and has worked as
a Behavior Management Specialist in the Taos area with Casa de Corazon. She is
committed to improving understanding and implementation of Special Education
services for all northern NM students.

Peter Trujillo is a Taos-area parent and caregiver to special needs children in his family.
He is a local woodworker and cabinet maker dedicated to improving SPcial Education
service access for all area students.

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Northern New Mexico Special Education

Advocacy
NNMSEA
Contacts
Linda Carvalho Heather Rowley
713 Cavalry Ct. PO Box 21564
Taos, NM 87571 Albuquerque, NM
87154
 575.779.9007 575.770.1218
lbc3_1999@yahoo.com
heather_rowley@hotmail.com

Thank you for your interest in and support for NNMSEA!