Immigrant Heritage Month: Angélica — Massachusetts Advocates for Children

Angélica smiles in a selfie with her two sons, their dog, and her husband. They are at the beach.

Angélica moved to the United States from Brazil to be with her husband. When their first son, Gabriel, was born, Angélica noticed signs of developmental delay. But when she brought it up to Gabriel’s doctors, they downplayed his delays and told her not to worry. They suggested that the delays may be due to speaking two languages at home – which she knew wasn’t true.

When Gabriel started preschool at the age of 3 – an experience Angélica calls “a blessing on his life” – his teacher validated Angélica’s concerns about Gabriel’s development. She recommended an autism evaluation.

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Angélica was then thrown into her first IEP meeting. She didn’t understand the paperwork, felt confused, and was still grieving and processing the knowledge that her son had a disability and was struggling. She began reading and learning everything she could about the special education process. Despite her English fluency, she found herself doubting her own English knowledge when she encountered legal terms she didn’t understand. She connected with community resources to educate herself and to meet Gabriel’s developmental needs through avenues other than the school.

Today, Angélica is using the knowledge and connections she’s gained through her own research to help other immigrant and limited English proficient families navigate the healthcare and education systems. She encourages immigrant parents to speak up for their rights and to not be afraid to ask questions. It brings her joy to empower other parents and to see them building relationships with schools and stakeholders to improve conditions for all children, regardless of their heritage or what language they speak.

And she’s proud of her own Brazilian heritage, passing it along to her children through Friday “family nights”, listening to Brazilian music, dancing, reading Brazilian stories, and sharing the handcrafted Brazilian toys Angélica enjoyed as a child with her own children.

Despite the barriers Angélica has faced, she’s grateful for the opportunities and security the United States offers her and her family, the academic freedom in U.S. schools, and the opportunity to learn alongside her children through remote learning.

Angélica serves on the Community Advisory Team (CAT), a group of immigrant women working to inform immigrant parents of their special education rights and bring their voices to key education stakeholders. Here, Angélica and other advocates and members of the CAT pose at the State House after testifying in support of legislation related to spoken language interpreters in educational settings.