Parents and Families Workshop Series
Three Wednesdays: March 4, 11 and 18, 2026, 2:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
About the Presenter
Gary Shulman, MS. Ed. has spent a lifetime supporting vulnerable families and children. He began his career working with children with and without disabilities in an inclusive Head Start program in Brooklyn, New York. He then transitioned to become the Special Needs and Early Childhood Coordinator for the Brooklyn Children’s Museum for 10 years. His passion for advocacy grew as he worked more and more with parents of children with disabilities. For over 24 years he passionately advocated for the needs of these parents as the Social Services and Training Director for Resources for Children with Special Needs, Inc. in New York City. The last years of his working life, Mr. Shulman served as a private Special Needs Consultant conducting hundreds of training sessions throughout New York City and beyond to help parents and professionals find and access the services and systems required to facilitate maximizing the potential of their children with disabilities. Now retired in Arlington, Virginia but still supporting vulnerable families serving as an Advisory Commissioner for the Partnership for Children, Youth and Families, Gary continues his workshop presentations and now also enjoys sharing his poetry that he passionately writes with the goal of leaving this world a better place one word at a time.
How to Participate
This three-part series of live workshops will be streamed over the web via Zoom. Registration is free. Registered participants will receive an e-mail with instructions, the link to join the webinar and any other materials on the morning of the event. If you have any questions, e-mail DeVonne Parks at dparks@tash.org.
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2:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern, Wednesday, March 4, 2026 Advocacy: They have it, you want it, now what? When your child is perceived to look or behave in a way that brings unwanted attention from others and sometimes elicits words that are insensitive and hurtful, it can be quite uncomfortable. Let’s share strategies to educate, sensitize and react to these experiences. How we respond is a choice and every situation is unique as is every family. This session will offer options to respond to these situations as well as encourage participants to share strategies that they have utilized. |
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2:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern, Wednesday, March 11, 2026 The Stress of Caring for a Child with a Disability: Strategies for Stress Reduction This workshop will share strategies to help you say what you need to say, and do what you need to do in order to find, apply for and obtain what is needed for your family member with a disability and for your whole family as well. When your child was diagnosed with a disability the roller coaster journey began with terminology you might not have known, systems and services that were new to you and sometimes, a competition to get them for your child and family. We all have different strengths and abilities. Advocating to obtain what is important for your child and family is always critically important during this journey. Join us as I share my 50+ years of advocacy strategies as well as welcoming you to share your own techniques of getting what is needed to support your child’s maximum growth and development. |
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2:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern, Wednesday, March 18, 2026 When I’m Gone, Then What? Planning and preparation for your child’s future so you can have more peace of mind and your adult child can live as fulfilling a life as possible. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a crystal ball that works so I could see my adult child’s future when I am no longer here. Sadly, it doesn’t exist so we must plan, research, link with organizations that can help and deal with the stress in a positive and proactive way. This session will help with all those issues including but not limited to: financial planning, housing, preparing for maximum independence, guardianship, supported decision making, socialization, employment, supporting the goals of your child and your own as a team as well as any other issues you would like to discuss pertaining to future care planning. The goal is for you to have as much peace of mind as possible during this process and to prepare good and early for your adult child’s future. |