Disabilities advocates honor alumnus, program director


Panther LIFE Senate Presentation

Panther LIFE Director Diana M. Valle-Riestra and College of Education Dean Delia C. Garcia address the Florida Senate Higher Education Committee in support of Panther LIFE and postsecondary transition programs.

On Nov. 21, a Miami-Dade-based resource center honored a College of Education alumnus as well as the director of the college’s Panther LIFE program for making significant contributions to the quality of life of people with disabilities.

Angel L. Rodriguez ’88, MS ’90, principal of Ruth Owens Krusé Educational Center, received Parent to Parent of Miami’s IMPACT Award.

Diana M. Valle-Riestra, director of the College of Education’s Panther LIFE program, received the Excellence in Family Advocacy Award.

“It’s really important for students with disabilities to see that there are people in the community like them who are working and thriving because having a disability doesn’t mean you have no hope or dreams in life – you want to be part of the community,” said Isabel C. Garcia, CEO of Parent to Parent of Miami. “That’s what Angel and Diana are doing – promoting something that needs much more awareness and support.”

Angel L. Rodriguez '88, MS '90

Angel L. Rodriguez ’88, MS ’90, principal of Ruth Owens Krusé Educational Center, will receive Parent to Parent’s IMPACT Award.

Rodriguez and Valle-Riestra received the awards at Parent to Parent’s 11th Annual Journey of Dreams Benefit. Parent to Parent, a key partner in the Panther LIFE program, provides access to information, resources and support to empower the families of more than 35,000 students with disabilities in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

Rodriguez is the principal of one of four Miami-Dade County Public schools catering specifically to children with disabilities and has expanded the school’s offerings to include educational opportunities for students with emotional and intellectual disabilities from Kindergarten to adulthood.

The father of a 21-year-old who is in FIU’s Panther LIFE program, Rodriguez champions efforts to get students with special needs to learn the skills that will help them to live independently and contribute to their community.

At Ruth Owens Krusé, for example, students can learn business and cooking skills that could help them find jobs. Some students sell facial scrubs and similar products, others make jewelry, and a third group works in the school’s ROK Café.

“We’re working in a world of advocacy,” he said. “You need those advocates so people pay attention and do things for people with disabilities who need support. We need to maximize their potential.”

As director of the Panther LIFE program, Valle-Riestra worked throughout her career to include parents and families in the educational process for students with disabilities. This approach is vital, Valle-Riestra said, because families can provide crucial insights into how students behave at home, which might inform a student’s education plan.

She extended that approach to Panther LIFE, and credits the inclusion of families with increasing the chance of Panther LIFE students to successfully complete the post-secondary transition program where students with disabilities hone the skills needed to live independently and to find and keep jobs.

“To me it’s important because parents and families bring a different perspective,” Valle-Riestra said. “The student should have a strong voice in their education, but the parents or the family unit is the one that provides all those missing pieces that sometimes you cannot get from the students.”

Most recently, Valle-Riestra and College of Education Dean Delia C. Garcia, successfully advocated for recurring state funds to support Panther LIFE and to develop a similar post-secondary transition program for people with disabilities who are 22 to 26 years old – an age group that typically has been underserved.

“It goes hand-in-hand,” said Valle-Riestra. “You can’t do your job without advocating for the needs and rights of the population that you’re targeting.”

Garcia, Rosa L. Jones –an assistant professor in the College of Education– and Laverne Pinkney, a visiting clinical assistant professor in the College of Law– are previous Journey of Dreams honorees.

For details about the 11th Annual Journey of Dreams Benefit, click here.