Sarah Eatmon

I'm a high school speech facilitator, and I've been working in education for 3 years. What led me to this role is the fact that I'm really outgoing and I want to be able to make a difference in the lives of others. I have a heart for children and I want to advocate for them. As a person who has a learning disability and is considered disabled, I understand how it feels to need somebody to advocate for you. I grew up in special education my whole life when I was in school, so I get it and I understand where my students are coming from. A lot of my kids are nonverbal, and the other part of my caseload are verbal kids, but it's hard for them to advocate for themselves and speak up about things they need. I want them to understand that I'm here for them at their level, that I'm going to be that person to help guide them in the direction they need to go. I want to help mold them into avid community members who can socialize with people and make friends. I work with a remote speech pathologist, and my role involves setting up all the technology, getting students from their classrooms, building relationships with them so they trust me, and working with AAC communication devices. My days are very different - sometimes I'm working with kids back-to-back, sometimes my days are more free, but I'm always there to help people and be a guiding light. I help with programming the communication devices, working on projects, communicating with teachers, and various tasks the speech pathologist needs. My role is very flexible and I like having that diversity and variety throughout the day. My students teach me more than I teach them, and being able to help them helps me become a better person.