Navigating Blindness in School: From Learning by Example to Taking Action

Advocacy is a journey that begins early and grows over time. Join mother and daughter Monica and Elizabeth Rouse for an insightful and candid webinar that explores what it truly means to navigate blindness within the public education system—and beyond. Through personal stories and real-life examples, Monica and Elizabeth share how advocacy developed from childhood into adulthood and how intentional support can shape lifelong confidence and success.

This engaging session highlights the role of high expectations, persistence, and partnership in building strong self-advocacy skills. Monica reflects on the choices she made as a parent to lay a solid foundation, while Elizabeth shares how she gradually learned to speak up for herself, advocate for her needs, and move forward with confidence in school and post-secondary life.

Whether you are a parent, educator, service provider, or self-advocate, this webinar will offer practical insights, encouragement, and hope. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how advocacy evolves, why it matters at every stage of life, and how families and professionals can support young people in finding their voice and taking action.

By the end of the session, participants will:

✅ Explore a family’s firsthand experience navigating blindness within the public education system, highlighting how advocacy evolves from childhood through adulthood.
✅ Learn how Monica, as a parent, established high expectations and a strong foundation for disability advocacy. 
✅  Identify the key skills and experiences that supported Elizabeth’s growth into a confident self-advocate.

Join us Monday, February 23 from Noon to 1:00PM.

Register here

Monica Rouse

With more than 30 years of experience in education, Monica has served as a high school English teacher and coach and a principal at the middle and high school levels. Her work is deeply informed by a passion for disability advocacy, rooted in her lived experience as the parent of a child with a disability. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Principal Preparation Program at Western Illinois University. In addition to her academic and leadership roles, she has specialized training in dispute mediation and conflict resolution, which informs her commitment to collaborative, inclusive, and effective leadership practices.

Elizabeth Rouse

Elizabeth is a passionate and informed disability advocate who brings both professional insight and lived experience with blindness to her work. She received a public education in a rural part of Iowa supported by Individual Education Program (IEP) services before transitioning into post secondary life, including attending a private college. Along the way, Elizabeth completed adjustment to blindness training at the Louisiana Center for the Blind, a National Federation of the Blind training center that focuses on the development of nonvisual skills, strengthening her independence and advocacy perspectives. She currently works part-time as a Family Support Specialist with ASK Resource Center and part-time as a paraprofessional in a 5th and 6th-grade multi-age classroom. Through a combination of employment and volunteer roles, Elizabeth continues to contribute to the disability community by advancing access, equity, and meaningful inclusion for all people with disabilities.