What to expect when you join The Parent Circle:

As a member, you have access to weekly Support Sessions lead by Karen and Brighty. The sessions are 60 minutes each. 

As a member, you have access to the Resource Center which contains videos, articles, and a variety of downloadable worksheets and PDFs 

As a member, you can connect with other parents in the Parent Circle Community, a private, members only area. 

As a member, you can obtain private, individualized, one-on-one coaching sessions with Karen or Brighty for an additional, affordable cost (we will work with you on this!)

The Parent Circle is designed specifically for parents of deaf/hard of hearing/deafblind/deafdisabled/Deaf Plus children. This is a safe, nurturing place for parents. 

You must be a parent to join. 

The Parent Circle is an online support program for parents lead by trained Parent Coaches. It works as a compliment to your state system of support, providing specialized support in various areas of support that may not be available at a local level. The Parent Circle is also available to families with children of any age. (We recently supported a 70-year-old parent who wanted to create new ways of relating to their adult child.)

You MAY be able to add The Parent Circle to your child's IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) or IEP (Individualized Education Program). Every state/area is different. 

Here's the section of the IDEA which covers Parent Counseling and Training: 

Parent Counseling and Training (from: Center for Parent Information and Resources)

Parent counseling and training is an important related service that can help parents enhance the vital role they play in the lives of their children. Its definition is found at §300.34(c)(8) and reads:

(8)(i) Parent counseling and training means assisting parents in understanding the special needs of their child;

(ii) Providing parents with information about child development; and

(iii) Helping parents to acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to support the implementation of their child’s IEP or IFSP.

The first two parts of this definition are longstanding in IDEA. The last part—regarding helping parents acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to support the implementation of their child’s IEP or IFSP—was added in IDEA ’97 “to recognize the more active role of parents as participants in the education of their children” (71 Fed. Reg. at 46573) and is retained in IDEA 2004. As with all related services, parent counseling and training would only be provided to parents “if  a child’s IEP team determines that it is necessary for the child to receive FAPE” (Id.).