HomeAdvocacy Support & Training (ASTra) Webinar Series
Best Practices When Serving Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families
presented by Rana Ottallah & Ana Brooks
Date: June 25, 2024
Time: 10:00am-11:00am (Mnt)
How can Advocates increase their knowledge and ability to serve those families that have additional barriers?
By adding additional tools to their toolbox, Advocates will learn how to empower and train with appropriate resources that are specifically designed to meet culturally and linguistically diverse families.
Advocates will learn how to implement best practices to affectively increase Parent participation, access to resources, and better student outcomes. Additionally, Advocates will learn how to empower and train Parents and Guardians of DHH children utilizing resources that are specifically designed to meet their needs.
Presenters Bio:
Rana Ottallah
Rana Ottallah is the parent of an 18-year-old deaf oral daughter with bilateral Cochlear implants. A board member of H&V HQ, and the coordinator of Louisiana ASTra program, and a GBYS for LA Middle Eastern families. Has extensive knowledge of special education laws and regulations. Served on LA state special advisory panel and other local Special education task forces. A graduate of multiple state and national level leadership academies.
Rana was a driving force behind amending Louisiana Deaf child bill of rights and other state level legislation. Rana was a member of Louisiana ESSA work force group. In 2016 she was appointed a commissioner for the Deaf by Louisiana Governor John Bell Edwards.
Rana is the co- founder and the Executive Director of AMAANA Disability Community Resource Center established to serve Middle Eastern and Muslim children with disabilities and their families.
Ana Brooks
Ana Brooks was born in Mexico to Salvadoran parents. She and her family migrated to the Southern California when she was a young child. She grew up seeing her parents struggle to navigate systems without improper accommodations for non-English speaking individuals. She has been living in the Pacific Northwest since 2008. She is a prior Bilingual Parent Guide for the Oregon chapter, has worked for the Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) in Oregon and currently works for the Family-to-Family (F2F) program in Oregon along with being a consultant for Hispanic/Latino family support for Hands & Voices HQ. She is the current lead of the Hands & Voices Latino Council for Latino Family Support and has been involved in various statewide committees.
She has presented at the Hands & Voices Leadership conference and EHDI National Conference along with several state conferences in Oregon and California.
She is a constant advocate for the medical and educational needs of non-native English-speaking children and their families. She is committed to assisting and supporting parents of DHH children in achieving success by sharing resources and empowering them to find their advocacy voice.
