We were lucky to catch up with Vickie Brett Amanda Selogie recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Vickie Brett thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Is there a lesson you learned in school that’s stuck with you and has meaningfully impacted your journey?
Vickie: During my final year of law school I had a female judge as a professor. She extended an invite to all the 3Ls to come visit her in her chambers when we passed the bar and were first year attorneys. I took her up on the offer and went to visit her. It was surreal seeing her in her robes behind the bench absolutely commanding the courtroom. Once I got into her chambers we had a long discussion of where I was working and what my hopes were for the future. In the middle of our conversation, she looked me directly in the eyes and said “Trust no one but yourself.” I sat there, letting her words wash over me. I am sure she read my face of concentration and thought, I should change the subject, which she promptly did. I have never forgotten those words and have said them like a mantra to myself when making a big “life” decision such as when Amanda and I opened our own law firm.
Amanda: When I was in the third grade, we had two twin boys in our grade with Autism, one mainstreamed into my class, and the other into another third grade class. This was probably my first interaction with a child with a disability where I truly had the opportunity to get to know them, work with them and learn from them. They were only in our class for maybe an hour a day and the whole class rotated sitting next to them (table assignments generally dictated who we worked with for group work). I will never forget these two boys, their names, their mannerisms and how in so many ways, they were just like us. I think I learned a very important lesson that year about how we all are different, have different strengths and challenges and that we all deserve to be treated as humans, with kindness and respect. Unfortunately, that being so many years ago, it was unfortunate that these boys were only mainstreamed in the general education classroom for about an hour a day and not fully included in the general education classroom. While I will never forget their names, their smile, and all their strengths – what they taught the rest of the class – I will also never forget feeling how hard it was to see that they were not allowed to be in our class all day. In third grade, I didn’t really understand why they couldn’t be in our class full time but it really drew me to working with kids with disabilities and I went on to tutor, work at summer camps and schools with children with disabilities. Ultimately this led to my career and business fighting every day for students like them to be included and feel a sense of belonging.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
We are Co-Founders and Executive Directors of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, The Inclusive Education Project. We are an entirely female run and operated business providing “pro bono” and “low bono” legal services. Pro bono meaning free legal services if the family qualifies, and low bono meaning low cost, flat rate services for all other potential clients. We are known for supporting families and special populations of students that require support in accessing equal learning opportunities. We focus on a holistic and collaborative approach to helping our clients in supporting all aspects of their education which makes us different then the standard special education attorney!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
As special education attorneys, we’ve built a strong, trustworthy reputation by being honest, ethical, communicative, hard-working, and child-centered. We know nitty-gritty of special education law like the back of our hands – and always stay updated on any changes that come our way. Our ethical compass is always pointing north – we play by the rules, keep things confidential, and shoot straight with our clients. But it’s not just about knowing the law; it’s about putting our clients first. We’re there for them, keeping communication consistent and making sure they understand every step of the way. Collaboration is our middle name. We work seamlessly not just with our clients but also with schools and other professionals involved – teachers, administrators, school psychologists, therapists, SLP’s…you name it! Advocacy is where we shine. And at the end of the day, it’s all about heart. Navigating the system can be stressful for families. We understand the challenges families face, and our empathy shines through each and every bit of our work.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Shameless plug for our podcast – the Inclusive Education Project Podcast! We release new episodes every week. The guests we have on are incredible teachers, administrators, mental health professionals, doctors, advocates, authors and influential people in the community doing incredible work. Their main goal? A more inclusive world. Our community is everything – we learn so much from each other! Tune in every Tuesday anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.inclusiveeducationproject.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inclusiveeducationproject/