Meet Joanne Grobecker
Your Guide Through the Storm

My journey into special education advocacy began the way it does for many parents, at my own kitchen table, advocating for my child. After frustrating meetings and lack of progress I quickly realized that navigating special education required specialized knowledge, persistence, and confidence. I threw myself into learning everything I could including the laws, the process, the rights families have, and the strategies that actually work. I have my BA in English Teaching and my Master's in Education which gives me a strong foundation into navigating public school systems.

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What I discovered was that I was able to advocate effectively for what my child needed. The thing that was missing was that I could have used someone by my side with the expertise needed and who wasn't as emotionally involved as I was. That is when I knew I needed to help other families and be that person for them​. This led me to New Hampshire's Parent Information Center.

I worked at New Hampshire's Parent Information Center providing special education support to families. I then went on to train parent advocates through the New Hampshire Parent Information Center's Volunteer Advocate Training Program, empowering even more families across New Hampshire. This experience helped shaped my passion. I was supporting other families with what I had learned by helping them understand evaluations, and giving them the tools to advocate for their children with confidence. I wanted to be with parents every step of their journey to attend IEP meetings and provide that wraparound support which led me to personalized special education advocacy.

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Today, I bring that same passion and expertise to Lighthouse Education Advocates which is a practice dedicated to making sure no New Hampshire family has to navigate special education alone.