Find an advocate to
fit your family

Paige Ryan

Caregiver Coach

I am a pediatric physical therapist and caregiver coach with over a decade of experience working with children with disabilities, neurodivergent profiles, and complex medical needs. I founded Foundation First Physical Therapy specifically because I kept watching families navigate impossibly complex systems alone — and I wanted to be the person in their corner. My advocacy work lives at the intersection of clinical expertise and systems navigation. I help families understand their child's PT needs, push back on insurance denials, navigate DME and equipment authorization, prepare for IEP meetings from a motor and functional perspective, and make sense of the medical language and recommendations being thrown at them by a team of specialists. What I bring that most advocates don't is the clinical background to speak the language of the providers AND the ability to translate it for families in a way that actually makes sense. I have sat in IEP meetings, written medical necessity letters, filed insurance appeals, and coached caregivers through some of the most overwhelming moments of their lives. I work with families of children with cerebral palsy, autism, rare and complex diagnoses, and medically complex profiles. I am based in Chelmsford, MA but offer virtual support nationwide through my caregiver coaching practice.

Ashly Barta

Special Education Advocate

I bring both professional experience and deeply personal experience to special education advocacy. As an educator, consultant, and parent, I understand special education from both sides of the table. My greatest lessons in advocacy, however, have come from advocating for my own children, especially my son, who is nonverbal, uses AAC to communicate, and has epilepsy. His journey has taught me how important it is to look beyond a diagnosis, ask difficult questions, navigate complex educational and medical systems, and make sure a child’s needs and abilities are truly understood. I know firsthand how overwhelming it can feel when you are trying to make the right decisions for your child while also learning policies, services, evaluations, and supports. Those experiences shape the advocate I strive to be: knowledgeable, compassionate, collaborative, and willing to ask questions when something doesn’t seem right. My goal is not simply to help families navigate special education, but to help them find their voice, understand their options, and confidently advocate for a child who deserves to be seen, heard, and supported.

Ashley Traylor she/her

Special Education Advocate

I am a non-attorney special education advocate with a master’s degree in special education and nearly two decades of experience supporting students with disabilities and their families. My background includes work as a special education teacher, education consultant, and parent advocate, which gives me a strong understanding of both the school and family sides of the IEP process. I support families with IEPs, 504 plans, evaluations, eligibility, behavior plans, discipline concerns, transition planning, and parent participation in meetings. My goal is to help families feel prepared, informed, and confident while working collaboratively with school teams to address the student’s individual needs. I am also a parent of a child with disabilities, so I understand how emotional and overwhelming the process can feel. I believe families deserve clear information, practical support, and someone beside them who can help translate the paperwork, organize the concerns, and keep the focus on the child. My advocacy style is calm, collaborative, and solution-focused. I help families understand their rights, ask meaningful questions, review documents, prepare for meetings, and communicate concerns clearly and productively.

Kathleen Skeins

Diagnosis & Healthcare Advocate

TBI navigation and caregiving isn't explained in the hospital. I do that here. I'm Kathleen Skeins, Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) and wife of a severe traumatic brain injury survivor. I teach TBI caregivers what no one has time to explain: the medical terms, the decisions, the logistics, the parts nobody prepares you for. No recovery promises. No timelines. Just what you need to know, explained plainly, by someone who's lived it. I know it may feel like it, but you are not alone.

Leah Wright

Special Education Advocate

Tina Ayhan

Diagnosis & Healthcare Advocate

I had no experience with speacial needs and had to learn the hard way. My daughter has CP, epilepsy, global development delay. Had surgeries, had status epilepticus, stayed in hospitals for months. Learned to advocate for a non-verbal child while caring for two other kids one younger one older. Later went back to school and got my LMSW degree and now working for LCSW. Working in a psychiatric hospital while raising kids and managing being a full time assistant to my daughter with disabilities.

Kathlyn Roffina

Special Education Advocate

I have a physical disability and have lived this life for 31 years. My son and husband have different medical complexities and have been thrown into navigating everything as a parent. I would love to help you feel less alone and help you thrive again.

Brittany Melara

Special Education Advocate

I believe every child has unlimited potential when they are given the opportunity, support, and the belief that they can succeed. As both a pediatric speech-language pathologist and the mother of a son with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), I have experienced the disability community from both the professional and personal perspectives. I have spent years helping children find their voices while also navigating therapies, medical appointments, education, adaptive equipment, and advocating for my own son. Watching Trevor grow into an honor-roll student, student coach, athlete, employee, and now pursue adaptive driving has reinforced my belief that disability should never define a person’s future. My approach is centered on empowering families, encouraging independence, and helping others see possibilities instead of limitations. I hope to use my experiences to support, encourage, and advocate for families so they feel heard, equipped, and never alone in their journey.

Emily & Morgan

Diagnosis & Healthcare Advocate

Grace in the Unexpected is hosted by two moms, that are friends, who live the realities of pediatric brain injury every day. Our perspective is not just informed—it is lived. Between us, we represent both sides of the brain injury journey: one of us parenting a child with an acquired traumatic brain injury (TBI), and the other raising a child with a congenital brain injury. This dual lens allows us to speak with depth and nuance about the wide spectrum of challenges, adaptations, and victories families experience. Emily brings insight into adoption, as well as firsthand experience navigating epilepsy and its complexities within the context of brain injury. Morgan offers extensive knowledge in tube feeding, adaptive equipment, and AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) devices. Both moms are sharing practical guidance for families managing daily medical and communication needs. Together, we explore the full spectrum of cerebral palsy, recognizing that no two children—or journeys—are the same. From higher support needs to more independent mobility, we speak candidly about what it looks like to meet our children where they are and advocate for what they need. Our goal is to create a space where real-life experience meets honest conversation—offering support, education, and connection for families walking similar paths.

Emily O'Sullivan

Early Intervention & Infant Mental Health Specialist, Grief Coach

I am a pediatric occupational therapist for 16+ years, trauma-informed grief/parent coach, infant mental health specialist, and certified lactation counselor. I have lived experience as a NICU/medical parent x2, rare diagnosis parent, and bereaved parent. I am passionate about helping families navigate their early experiences with their babies, build bonds and attachment, and manage their own mental health through the hardships of medical parenting, diagnoses, or traumas. I meet families, primarily mothers, virtually or in-person locally.