‘Life-changing’: Task force promotes advocacy, education for families of children with disabilities

For Shashwathee Kamalesh, resources from Local Task Force 3 on the Right to Education in Allegheny County have been a lifeline as she navigates life as a parent of a child with disabilities.

“Every step of my journey, I feel like I’m supported,” said Kamalesh of Marshall, whose 12-year-old son, Aarya Sharma, is a student in the North Allegheny School District. “I can call or email anyone in the local task force.”

“It’s been life-changing for us. I can’t imagine the journey without it.”

The task force, part of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, is working to revitalize itself and get the word out about the education resources and support available to families of children with disabilities, said Heather Zak, a task force member.

The task force meets virtually at 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month. Meeting information is available on its website at ltf3.org.

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 5, the task force will host Al Condeluci at AIU’s headquarters at 475 E. Waterfront Drive in Homestead.

Condeluci began his career in human services in 1970 and served as CEO of Community Living and Support Services from 1991 to 2018. He teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.

“Al Condeluci has been a warrior for students’ rights for a long time,” said Debbie Efkeman of Hampton, another member of the task force. “That will be an excellent opportunity for families to get the big picture.

“The local task force was a lifeline for me and, I think, a lot of other families. When you come to a couple meetings and see what help you can get, it really is an asset and resource for families.”

The local task force on the right to education began in 1972 by consent decree, following a lawsuit against Pennsylvania for denying education to children with intellectual disabilities.

Its role is to support parents, advocate for student rights and share knowledge of special education law and regulations.

Task forces operate at every intermediate unit in the state.

Local Task Force 3 includes all Allegheny County school districts except Pittsburgh Public Schools, which operates its own task force under the Pittsburgh/Mt. Oliver Intermediate Unit.

The task force’s meetings include representatives from organizations such as the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the county’s Department of Human Services, Achieva/Arc of Greater Pittsburgh, the Transition Coordinating Council of Allegheny County, the Disability Options Network and more, Zak said.

Zak of Franklin Park has 13-year-old twins, Grant and Taylor, with multiple disabilities in the North Allegheny School District.

“You drink from a fire hose sometimes,” Zak said of navigating information as a parent of children with disabilities. “For me, this has been somewhere where I can focus. It’s a one-stop shop. They helped me find my way when I really needed help.”

Zak said she has heard and seen comments from families with children with disabilities who aren’t sure where to turn to get help or advocate for their child. The local task force can fill that gap, she said.

“They’re here to support and talk about what’s going on in the community and the resources out there,” she said. “It’s a lot of voices that really help each other. It really is a community.”

Zak said her biggest takeaways from being involved include personal and educational advocacy.

“It’s the mindset of valuing students with disabilities to be included in general education and in life,” she said.

Kamalesh agrees. She moved to the Pittsburgh region from Raleigh, N.C., in 2019 and got involved in the task force in 2021.

Kamalesh said she has learned about the education system and how to advocate for her son with his Individualized Education Plan.

An IEP is a legal, written plan for students who have a disability or are gifted and require special education services. The document outlines a student’s needs and strengths, as well as the accommodations they will receive to ensure their success in school.

“I always felt supported,” Kamalesh said.

“Every time I attend a meeting, I learn something new.”

Efkeman said she learned about the local task force when her daughter, Kate, was 3. She began attending meetings in 1988. Kate has Down syndrome.

“There was a lot to learn about what to ask of a school district, and how to partner and consider yourself an equal partner,” Efkeman said.

Kate attended Hampton School District, banked her diploma in 2002 and left the district in 2005. In the past three years, she audited classes at CCAC North.

Now 41, Kate works two part-time jobs, one at Giant Eagle and the other at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network.

Debbie Efkeman, who is still involved in the local task force, advises parents to always have high expectations when talking with a school district.

“Think about where you want your child to be when they’re 21 and leaving the school district,” she said.

Supports that can be placed in an IEP could include anything from supplemental educational programming to socialization.

“It’s almost like the sky’s the limit of what you can ask for and what to put in the IEP,” Efkeman said.

Penny Gardner of Hampton also is a long-time member of the local task force. Her son, Bryan, who is on the autism spectrum, just turned 33.

Through being involved in the local task force, Gardner was able to make contacts with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for employment opportunities for Bryan.

“The people that come to meetings, these are people you wouldn’t normally have access to,” Gardner said. “By going to the meetings, you meet the players.”

Bryan currently works two part-time jobs, one as an electronic records data entry specialist PA Connecting Communities in Carnegie and another as an administrative assistant at the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry in Monroeville.

The local task force is “kind of a well-kept secret for a lot of people,” Gardner said, and many don’t know it exists.

She hopes that can change, as the advocacy and resources families glean from the program are invaluable. Families can see they aren’t alone, she said.

“It’s important to continue to advocate and use the laws that are there to help families,” she said.