Laryssa Beatty is a special education advocate with decades of experience helping parents navigate through the education process with their child's school district. Laryssa excels at assisting parents to advocate for their child's unique learning needs. While advocating for her children's needs, she realized she had a calling for helping families. She started using her personal experience to help families and began working professionally at Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center, Arc of Ohio, Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities and OhioRISE. Throughout her career, Laryssa has worked tirelessly with families all over Ohio to ensure that children who learn differently received the programming they needed to access an appropriate education. These work experiences combined with her personal experiences make her a passionate addition to our advocacy team. When asked about her career goals, Laryssa says that her primary focus working with families is to "use all of her experiences to help others be a voice for their children and help them be who God created them to be."

Laryssa is a 2013 graduate of Partners In Policymaking, a comprehensive advocacy training course through ARC of Greater Cleveland. She has served on many boards over the years, including the State Advisory Panel for Exceptional Children (SAPEC), DODD Family Advisory Council, OSU Family and Community Network, Carroll County Family and Children First Council and Carroll County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

When not advocating with families, Laryssa enjoys bowling, spending time at the beach and gardening.

Nikki (Holway) Loveless is a special education advocate who keeps the IEP team focused on the unique educational needs of the student. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), she knows how to collect, analyze and utilize data for appropriate special education planning and monitoring. Her expertise and experience make her a key player in ensuring her client's needs are accurately interpreted and met by the district.

Nikki has worked as an educator, clinician and consultant in a variety of settings including homes, clinics, private and public schools. The majority of her work and true passion has been in ensuring student's right to a free and appropriate public education through the use of Applied Behavior Analysis.

While going through the special education process with children in her own family, Nikki found her professional background positioned her to confidently participate with the team and ensure an appropriate and comprehensive individualized education program. She knows firsthand that students thrive when the IEP team works collaboratively and that the most critical component of that team is the parent.

Far too often, parents either do not feel heard by school districts or the anxiety around special education proceedings prohibits them from fully participating. Nikki's goal as an advocate is to equip parents with the knowledge and tools to confidently advocate for their own children and to be an active participant in their child's special education journey.

Education:
Duquesne University, BS, 2009

Major:
Early Childhood and Elementary Education

Minor:
Special Education

Harvard University, M.Ed., 2010
Concentration: Mind, Brain and Education

Florida Institute of Technology, BCBA, 2013
Concentration: Applied Behavior Analysis