Meet Our Staff: Maria Rangel

“I still remember the strength it took for me to first voice my concerns during an IEP meeting, to do so in contrast to everything I had been taught.”

My name is Maria Rangel, and I am a Mexican, brown skinned woman born in Michoacan, Mexico. Raised in Portland, Oregon since age 6, I am fully bilingual in Spanish and English.

I am the proud mom of three wonderful children -- Ruby (16), Giovanni (15), and Emiliano (9). Each one has taught me to see and live differently. I’ve learned things along the way that I don’t think I ever would have learned without them in my life.

Ruby is my first-born child. She loves coloring, listening to music, singing, and dancing, and she experiences Down syndrome. Because of the negative way in which Ruby’s diagnosis was delivered to me, and because my cultural and community background viewed disability as a tragedy, I initially had low expectations for Ruby and the opportunities life would present to her.

My experience highlights the barriers that many families face in advocating for their children. Lack of accurate information about disability and systems is a huge barrier. And cultural barriers are another. I was taught early on in my life to be grateful for anything given to me, to not question authority, and to not act in a way that would attract attention to myself or my family. It is hard to engage fully in systems where the assumption is that you will ask for what you need but when you have been taught to do the opposite.

So, when Ruby entered kindergarten and I was told that she needed to be in a special education classroom, I accepted that. Navigating the special education system was extremely hard for me, as I knew nothing about it before she started school. For four years, I simply attended IEP meetings and agreed with everything I was told because I thought that was all they could offer. I reminded myself to be thankful for whatever support they could give to Ruby.  

But when Ruby was in third grade, I noticed a lot of behavioral changes, and the school did not seem to have answers. I began searching for help outside the school system, and that was when I connected with other parents of children with disabilities. Those families guided me by sharing their own experiences, giving me information and resources, and supporting me to know how to advocate. I learned that all behavior is a form of communication, and I became determined to help Ruby effectively communicate her needs, hopes, and desires. And, while I knew that I had rights as a parent, and that my daughter had rights as a student, I did not fully understand how to exercise those rights to do what I knew would best support Ruby. This all changed once I got connected and led me away from a path of enabling to a path of empowering myself and Ruby. 

I still remember the strength it took for me to first voice my concerns during an IEP meeting, to do so in contrast to everything I had been taught. I got that strength from my newfound knowledge about what was best for my daughter and realizing that if I did not speak up, no one else would. I asked the district for communication supports. She now currently uses Avaz and Tobbii DynaVox, a bilingual communication app. Once those were established, Ruby’s behavior improved significantly, probably because she felt more in control of her life.

Maria Rangel, Bilingual Program Coordinator

Maria with her three children: Ruby, Giovanni, and Emiliano

Now, every time things get difficult in my advocacy, I think of our past successes and of Ruby’s and my vision for her. That gives me the strength to keep moving forward. I now work hard to break misconceptions about disability with my family and community by supporting my daughter to have access to anything my other two children have access to, with the support she needs in place. 

I recently joined the FACT Oregon team as a Bilingual Program Specialist, and I am so excited to continue supporting my community, as I have done for the past ten years. My own “lightbulb moment” was when I realized that I was not the only parent going through these challenges and that by talking to other parents and sharing my experience, I could really help support others. It really means a lot to me that I can reciprocate the support that I once received and still receive. My goal is to help break down barriers to access by providing support, resources, training, and information in Spanish. While my own path has not been easy, I am bilingual and can communicate effectively in English. That is not true for many in my community. I want everyone in my Spanish-speaking community to feel connected and empowered no matter what support they may need to do so.

My advice to families:

Before I got started on my advocacy journey, I thought that by doing everything for Ruby, I was protecting her from failure. But another parent told me: “Maria, everything you do for your daughter now, someone will have to do for her when you are not there.” That made me think hard about giving my daughter dignity of risk and presuming competence. So, with that in mind, my advice to families is to not let anyone define who your child will be. A person is not defined by a disability. Their disability is a part of them, but like anyone else, they have interests, talents, likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams. Look for those right supports so your kid live a whole, full life and accomplish anything they want.