Who We Are:
LEIGH MONICHON
Leigh has 25 years professional and personal experience with negotiation and conflict resolution in special education. Leigh’s advocacy experience began when her son with autism entered the service delivery system. He did not fit into standard programs, and there were challenges getting his Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) personalized. Leigh persuaded the agency to individualize his program. Because her son was non-verbal, the school district determined that the least restrictive school environment was a classroom for severely disabled students. The school provided a communication device: a piece of paper with 4 pictures. After Leigh found him a functional mode of communication and persuaded school staff to use it, Leigh negotiated for him to be moved from the most restrictive environment to full-time inclusion with his peers.
And the result? Today he attends college, working towards a Bachelor of Arts.
Leigh was able to persuade agencies that “individualized” meant adapting the teaching process to facilitate his learning. She realized that if this happened to her son, how could other parents figure out how to help their children when they did not know the law or understand the rules, or lacked the time and energy to push back?
Galvanized, she organized parents to negotiate with Santa Clara County Office of Education to close an unsafe special day classroom. All the children in that classroom needed new placements; she helped many parents in the group prepare to attend Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings to negotiate new placements and services for their children.
The Area Developmental Disabilities Board VII recognized her proficiency with and dedication to special education. They recruited her in 1994 and she served as a board member for eight years and another 4 years as Chair. During that time, she helped many people add goals to their IEPs, negotiated appropriate services with many school districts, and worked with individuals to promote self-advocacy. Her specialties include task breakdown analysis, alternative and augmentative communication, negotiation, and scaffolding—teaching people with disabilities the process of problem-solving. She represents the interests of children with special needs at IEP meetings, providing parental and student support.
Leigh’s educational background is in Business Administration. She completed COPAA’s intensive Special Education Advocacy Training (SEAT) in 2014, and received COPAA’s Advanced Advocacy Training Certification in 2018. From her personal experience with IEPs, Fair Hearings, and Due Process, she understands the importance of negotiation.
TAYLOR KOHN
Taylor has 10 years of experience working in special education. She has expertise on both sides of the IEP table. Her special education career began as she started working in a classroom where she quickly fell in love with the students and families that she was supporting. From there, she dedicated her career and education to learning more and better ways to be able to support them. Originally, her path for advocacy and support for families was through teaching. The school districts quickly realized her combination of caring and capability and asked her to become a program specialist. After teaching for a number of years, she agreed to this change in order to support families in a different way…
A Master’s Degree in Autism and Intellectual Disabilities are how she began her academic training, but her real-world education and experience has come from attending IEPs and supporting her friends in their journeys through the Special Education process. Many of her friends are active duty military and with that comes frequent moves across the nation. The relocations can be especially hard for a child with a disability and the children’s rights are often pushed to the side. In advocating for friends’ children, she has ensured that they receive the services and individualization that they deserve in their IEPs. Taylor makes sure that all services and appropriate placement are in place on day one of school.
After growing up in the California Bay Area, Taylor moved away to pursue her education and teach in other Western states. She moved back to the area to help support and be with her family. Her professional experience is in working with and supporting children with a variety of disabilities, classroom management, behavioral strategies, ABA Therapy, curriculum, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. Education is a passion, and she is an lifelong learner who enjoys expanding her knowledge base. Her dedication to always supporting and advocating for what is right for each child combined with extensive experience in taking the appropriate steps to ensure that happens is why we are delighted to welcome her to Aspire Advocacy.
SUSIE CHRISTENSEN
Susie started her career with a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara and has worked in a wide variety of educational settings with all ages groups of children. She also has worked in special education in a high school setting where she was responsible for curriculum development, teaching study skills, individualized academic support in both the general classroom and in the special day class settings, ensuring IEP adherence, attending IEP meetings, and keeping and reporting data regarding student’s educational details.
Susie has four children, the youngest of whom has autism. Susie’s experience within the special educational realm gave her an in-depth understanding of how the complex system of laws, policies, and entitlements works, and how difficult it is to navigate.
She started a very successful special education law parent group when she realized that many families needed help understanding and attaining the appropriate services for their students. Susie was also a member of her SELPA’s community advisory committee that helps direct the local school districts special education administration and program implementation. She was on a special committee for 18 months to develop a SELPA wide autism program, which involved lengthy and detailed interviews of a wide variety of autism service providers and agencies.
Susie was then appointed by her county supervisor to serve on Area Board VII. She held the position for a year and became the Chair for a year and a half. Area Boards and Regional Centers are—through the Lanterman Act—state-mandated advocacy agencies that provide those services to people with developmental disabilities.
Susie personally experienced due process, which furthered her knowledge and experience of understanding the system and the emotional toll it can take on a family. Susie has a passion for supporting families by helping them understand the intricacies of navigating a very complex system. She enjoys meeting new people and is very good at assessing each situation and really understanding what each individual student may need to ensure their success.