Strong Families. Strong Futures. | | |
Greetings to our VFN Family and Community Partners.
Vermont Family Network is pleased to announce the following new board members who started September 1, 2025. We welcome them as they contribute their time, experience, and perspectives to support our mission.
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Barry Blakely brings to Vermont Family Network a wealth of executive, financial, and board of director experience. He was born and raised in Southington, CT, moving to Vermont in 1995 accepting an electrical engineering and management position at IBM in Essex Junction. Before joining IBM, Barry was an electrical engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in New London, CT for almost ten years. He has a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Western New England University.
Barry has dedicated his time to numerous community organizations and events including volunteering at the Vermont City Marathon medical tent for the last 7 years. He has served on the board of Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston, VT since 2020 and is currently the treasurer. Barry is also the vice president of a homeowner’s association in Stowe, VT.
Barry resides in Williston and is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys skiing, biking, sailing, hiking, or just spending time outside with friends and family. He has two adult children, a son and daughter who now live outside of Vermont, and will become a grandfather by the end of the year!
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Jillian Kirby has been part of Vermont Family Network since high school when she volunteered disseminating Fact Sheets to Vermont parents. As a young adult, she worked at VPIC and then VFN in a number of administrative roles, including years of supporting the work of the Board of Directors through the merger between VPIC and Parent to Parent organizations. Now more than 20 years after her first job at VPIC, Jillian is the parent of a child with a disability.
Jillian is a passionate advocate for the rights of children and volunteers as a VFN volunteer Support Parent. Jillian joins the board with the goal of helping every parent feel supported and empowered to show up for their kids in the ways they need most.
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Rich Boyers currently serves as a Pre-ETS Outreach Counselor with the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), where he works with high school students to support their post-secondary planning and success. His personal and professional experiences have deeply shaped his commitment to equity and opportunity for students with disabilities and those from marginalized backgrounds. With more than 25 years in education and leadership, including his teaching career at Edmunds Middle School where he developed personalized accommodations and mentored teachers, Rich has consistently prioritized creating inclusive and supportive learning environments.
Rich’s dedication to families extends beyond the classroom, having previously served as Vice President of the Vermont Family Network Board, where he helped guide the merger of the Vermont Parent Information Center and Parent to Parent of Vermont, strengthening supports for families of children with disabilities and special health care needs. His commitment is also rooted in his personal journey as a parent. His older son was born with profound medical needs and, although he passed away at a young age, Rich and his wife made it their mission to ensure his life was as rich and full as it could be. He also supported another one of his children who received services through an IEP. These experiences have fueled Rich’s passion for advocating systems that prioritize collaboration, equity, and respect, ensuring that all students and families have the resources and support they need to thrive.
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Amy Wardwell has been an educator at Champlain Valley Union High School for 29 years and is currently the Snelling House Director at CVU where she oversees several departments and programs including the 9th Grade Core and the Compass program, an alternative educational pathway for students with special emotional or behavioral needs. Amy’s professional background allows her to provide insights on how the organization can help families navigate and advocate for their children’s educational needs.
As the parent of a young man living with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy and the aunt of a profoundly deaf teen, Amy has firsthand experience navigating the complex world of specialized care, resources and educational systems available at different points in a child’s life. She believes that the VFN provides a vital network of support and sense of community for families on similar journeys and is excited to be part of this work.
Amy is an active volunteer with the CVU Volunteer Outreach Club and also serves on the board of the Richmond Rescue. Amy is a Trustee of the Richmond Free Library where she has served as Secretary. She holds a B.A. in History from St. Michael’s. Amy lives in Richmond with her husband. She enjoys reading, paddling on Vermont’s lovely lakes and rivers and spending time with her two young adult sons. She is honored to have the opportunity to serve on the VFN board and use her skills to support and empower other Vermont families.
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VFN continues to look to expand the expertise and knowledge of its board and seeks to add more board members with knowledge in the areas of development, fundraising, finance management and experience as a parent of a child/youth with a disability/special health needs. Reach out to Michelle at michelle.kessler@vtfn.org if you have questions and/or interest.
From the heart,
Michelle Kessler
Executive Director
| | Opportunities to Share Youth Voice | | |
There are many ways for youth to gain experience using their voice to advocate for change and/or to support other youth by sharing what helped to make their own experience more successful. Ways to get involved include speaking on a panel or at a workshop, participating as a member of a youth advocacy council, or providing input on resources designed for a youth audience. These are great opportunities to connect with other families, youth and professionals, as well as to build communication skills, confidence, and self-advocacy. We are currently looking for youth to share their experience in the following ways:
Youth Panels
On October 7, 2025 there will be a youth panel at the annual Interagency Core Team Event in Killington that brings together professionals working with youth in transition to adulthood. On April 28, 2026 we will also host a youth panel at the annual Vermont Family Network conference at the UVM Davis Center in Burlington.
Virtual Workshops
This fall, we will be hosting workshops on dual enrollment and early college, student-led IEPs, and Career and Technical Education (CTE). We would like to invite youth with disabilities to share their experiences with any of these programs or topics.
Youth Advocacy Council
In late fall, HireAbility will be forming a Youth Advocacy Council that will be made up of youth with disabilities who want to impact how Vermont prepares students with disabilities for life after high school.
If any of these opportunities interest you or a young adult in your life, please reach out to Krista at krista.siringo@vtfn.org. We would love to hear from you and can provide support to help make this a successful experience!
| | Coordinated Services Plan (Act 264) Meetings | | |
When a child with a disability or special health needs requires services from multiple organizations, and families need help with coordinating those services, they may be eligible for a Coordinated Services Plan (CSP). This tool coordinates the parties involved in a child’s care by bringing all the service providers together at one meeting. Families who access the CSP are entitled to a parent representative who can support the family before, during and after the CSP meeting. VFN Family Support Consultants, through a Vermont Department of Mental Health grant, supports families in the CSP process in the role of parent rep throughout the state.
If you have any questions regarding the parent representative role and how to access one for your meeting, Act 264 or mental health supports in general, please contact the VFN helpline at 802-876-5315 or info@vtfn.org. You can also register for the upcoming Parent Representatives in Act 264 and Coordination of Service workshop to learn more.
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Vermont Family Network is pleased to announce that we have received medically necessary and respite funding from Children with Special Health Needs (CSHN) for the 2025-26 fiscal year. See more info in our Get Support - Funding For Families page. We are currently accepting applications. Please contact Diane at diane.bugbee@vtfn.org to learn more.
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What is it Like to Schedule A Day of Puppet Programming?
We’ve worked with an untold number of schools over our 45 years. Some of the schools are old friends who have us back year after year. But some of them have never had the puppets visit before. So, what is it like to have the puppets visit your school?
It all starts with talking to Kate Williams. Perhaps Kate has reached out to you because the puppets have funding for your school. Or perhaps you’ve filled out this form or emailed Kate at kate.williams@vtfn.org to set up a visit to your school.
Kate will work with you to find a good date for puppets to visit. From there, you’ll pick a program topic. Most grants have specific topic they fund, but for schools that can pay, you have your choice of puppet presentations.
Once you’ve got a date and a presentation, it’s time to figure out a presentation-day schedule. Depending on the size of the school, most days have three to five 35-minute presentation. A confirmation packet will be sent out two weeks before your performance day that includes a letter to send to your students’ families and other important information.
Kate will check in a few days before our visit to finalize any last-minute details. A couple of weeks after our visit, she’ll reach out with a link to our Post-Performance Feedback Form. We love it when schools fill this out as it helps us tailor our programs to fit schools’ needs.
Presentation days are a lot of work for the puppets team but also filled with fun and connection! We love that what we do makes a difference in the lives of others. Hopefully, we’ll be visiting your school soon!
| | AOE Parent Involvement Survey | | |
The Agency of Education has mailed out the annual Parent Involvement Survey to all families of children with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in the 2024-2025 school year. The deadline to complete the survey is September 26. If your child has an IEP and you haven't received the survey, please contact the Special Education Department by email: AOE.SpecialEd@vermont.gov or phone: (802) 828-1256.
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If you have a child between the ages of 8-13 who has a brother or sister with a disability or special health need, they may enjoy meeting with other “sibs” for fun and connection at monthly meet-ups in Chittenden County.
Sibshops is a program open to children age 8-13 who are Siblings of brothers and sisters who have disabilities or special health needs. All Sibshops are on Saturdays from 1:00-3:00 pm unless otherwise noted. Each Sibshops includes a fun activity, a snack, and a facilitated Sibchat. Every Sibchat has a theme and will provide an opportunity for participants to connect around what it means to be a “sib.” The $10 Sibshops fee covers all food and activities.
Please complete the 2025-26 Sibshops Registration Form to register your child for any/all this year’s Sibshops activities.
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Have you Ever Wondered About Being a Trained Support Parent?
Upcoming Volunteer Support Parent Trainings:
Tues September 16th 12-2:00 p.m.
Tues October 14th 6-8:00 p.m.
The 2- Part training is short and easy and consists of a 2-hour Zoom training and a self-guided PowerPoint.
Parent matches do not require much time. The average trained support parent texts and emails a few times with the referred parent and speaks on the phone once or twice. Requests to serve as a trained support parent are sporadic, and can be infrequent to a few times a year, depending on the specific diagnosis or condition that is requested.
You do not have to be an expert. Being able to listen with compassion and maintain confidentiality are the most important skills. You are never alone. VFN match facilitators are available to support any questions that arise.
Please consider volunteering as a trained support parent. As one parent to another, your listening ear can make a huge difference. If you are interested in volunteering, but the dates do not work with your schedule, please contact us and we will find another time that works for you!
Questions or to set up a training time that works for your schedule, please contact Marie at marie.fetterhoff@vtfn.org.
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Vermont Family Network is seeking families to share their story about living with a genetic diagnosis. Each family is the expert on their condition and VFN wants to raise up your family voice and learn through your story! First up in the series, a story from me, Ashley Michaud - VFN’s Genetic Navigator:
Joubert Syndrome was not a diagnosis I had heard of before a warm, late-spring day in June 2018. As my husband and I walked into the exam room with our daughter, we knew our world would probably shift, but we didn’t know how much it would change. When the geneticist handed me a copy of the MRI, my first thought was “Weird, didn’t know a part of our brain looked like a molar tooth” (spoiler alert- there should not be a molar tooth shape in a brain). We quickly learned that the molar tooth is a classic sign of Joubert syndrome.
Joubert syndrome is considered a rare, autosomal recessive genetic brain malformation that affects about 1 in 100,000 people. The brain stem and cerebellar vermis are the parts of the brain that are malformed, which can cause a variety of delays, health problems, and developmental differences. Like many diagnoses, no two cases are the same. In our family, Joubert syndrome affects our daughter’s vision, swallowing ability, many of her motor movements, speech, communication, social skills, and overall health.
Early on, someone introduced us to the term “inchstone”. We learned to celebrate those small milestones because typical developmental milestones often felt unattainable. Our daughter taught us that she will do things her own way and in her own time. She also taught us what it truly means to be resilient and adaptable, and how to overcome the challenges that lie ahead. She has never let her challenges hold her back. She loves her dance classes and playing T-ball; she can tell you the difference between her trachea and her esophagus and wants to be a farmer or a writer when she grows up.
This rare disease journey is a balancing act of worry, advocacy in both the education and healthcare systems, and just living in the moment. There are hard days sprinkled in between the wonder of watching a young person grow. Days we question our decisions; days that jumping through the many systems of care hoops seems impossible and days that the isolation and feelings of “other” take over. We haven’t figured it all out yet, but we continue to lean into our small community and find the joy in the inchstones.
Our story is just one of many, unique to us in many ways. My hope is that by sharing some of it, you maybe see some of your story in our story. Now, more than ever, it is important to connect, share our stories and find spaces for our voices! If you wish to learn more about sharing your story reach out to Ashley at ashley.michaud@vtfn.org.
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The Wisdom Exchange
In our last newsletter, we connected over the brilliance and simplicity behind a "boring" routine. We put out a call for you to share your own routine, and the responses did not disappoint.
One parent shared how they transformed bedtime tasks with "the list" - bundling steps into one simple prompt. The idea here was to avoid creating multiple reminders and resistance points and instead ask "Have you done your list?" as their go-to approach. They noted that with their daughter, who has Down syndrome, balancing consistency while avoiding rigid grooves is what works best for them. This approach can be replicated whether you're managing medical schedules, therapy routines, or everyday tasks.
This got us thinking: Every family is discovering what works for their unique situation. It could be how you make tube feedings less stressful, a visual cue that helps with transitions, how you organize medications, or simply what you say when it's time to leave the park.
What we're learning from each other:
- There's no "too small" or "too specific" solution; every win matters
- Solutions come in all forms - words, visuals, schedules, or letting go of schedules entirely
- Sometimes, just knowing another family "gets it" is everything
The takeaway: Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. "The list" and other strategies you've shared remind us that the best solutions often come from families themselves—simple, practical, and perfectly suited to your family's needs. A gentle reminder that the most powerful support we can offer each other is simply connecting with our community.
| | Upcoming Events - Register today! | | |
Free Online Workshops
September 25 at 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. "Parent Representatives in Act 264 and Coordination of Services (CSP)"
Act 264 was passed to ensure that public schools and community mental health/developmental services agencies work together with parents and guardians to coordinate services for better outcomes for children and families. A parent representative, or parent rep, is a person with lived experience who can help you navigate the Coordinated Service Plan (CSP) process. Learn how Act 264, or CSP, may be appropriate for your family and how parent reps can support you through the process.
Presenters: Karen Price - Co-director of Family Support, Education and members of VFN’s parent rep team
October 2 at 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. "What Does Vermont's Pathways to Partnerships Bring to the Table?"
This workshop will introduce what Pathways to Partnership is and what it brings to Vermont families, students and community partners. Vermont’s Pathways to Partnerships (VT-P2P) project aims to facilitate a smoother transition for young people with disabilities into independent living, employment, continued education or training, and community engagement. This funding presents an exceptional opportunity for Vermont to develop meaningful partnerships and training programs aimed at fostering the post-school success of students with disabilities.
Presenter: Liz Perreault - Vermont Pathways to Partnerships Project Director
October 16 at 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. "Supporting Students in Exploring Dual Enrollment and Early College Opportunities"
This workshop will outline the ways that students can take advantage of statewide Dual Enrollment and Early College Programs. Participants will learn specifics about both programs and about tools to help students, counselors, and families in the decision-making process, including assessing readiness.
Presenter: Amy Dodge, Post-Secondary Programs Coordinator - AOE, Education Programs Division, Flexible Pathways Team
November 4 at 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. "Developmental Disabilities Services Division (DDSD) System Changes: Intake, Eligibility and Conflict of Interest"
The system of care for Vermont children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities has been undergoing significant changes. This workshop will highlight these changes, including intake and eligibility, funding processes, case management, and service delivery. Join us to learn more about how the changes will impact those new to accessing services and those currently receiving services.
Presenter: Melanie Feddersen - DDSD Services Specialist Supervisor
Our workshops are online using the Zoom meeting platform.
If you are unable to attend the live presentation, you can still register and we’ll send you a link to the recording of the workshop which you can watch on your own time, unless otherwise noted. We appreciate when you register for our workshops as we need that data for our grant reporting.
Registrations are also posted under Upcoming Events on the landing page of our website. In case you missed our last series of workshops, you can find a full list on our VFN website. Check in regularly as we add more workshops to our schedule!
We save workshops on our website and YouTube channel.
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VFN Workshop Topics/Speakers Survey
We want to hear your ideas for our upcoming online workshops. What topics interest you? Are there presenters you would recommend?
Let us know your thoughts.
| | Contact Us. We Will Listen! | | Helping Vermont Families thrive for more than 30 years | | | |  |
Office
600 Blair Park Rd, Ste 240,
Williston, VT 05495
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