Zeuke helps ease transition between school and adulthood for students with disabilities
Jodie Zeuke, who has two children on the autism spectrum, remembers struggling to find the right resources for her kids when they were in school.
“I never wanted another parent to go through that, a feeling so lost,” she said.
Zeuke, now Oglethorpe County School System’s designated parent mentor, works with families like her own to navigate the school system and the transition from secondary education into adulthood.
“Sometimes they need that extra bit of help to get to the next level,” Zeuke said. “We want everybody to be successful and independent.”
One resource is the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership (GaPMP), which fosters collaboration between families, schools and communities to build better outcomes for students with disabilities.
Zeuke’s role within Oglethorpe County is multifaceted, from having conversations about a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) to helping students find their next steps after high school with the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA). She provides resources and strategies for families to support their students.
“It’s important to have somebody there that is there for the parents, there for students, and really help coordinate some of the services that need to happen,” Zeuke said.
Because parent mentors are a part of families with disabilities themselves, they have the unique ability to understand the families they serve.
Zeuke’s oldest daughter, Rebecca Fearnow, went through Oglethorpe County’s special education program before Zeuke became a parent mentor. Through the department, Fearnow was able to connect with Roosevelt Warm Springs, a program that provides opportunities for students with disabilities to gain technical skills and independence.
“It was life changing,” Fearnow said. “I learned all my independent skills there, and it taught me. … I learned to live on my own and learn to have a job and stuff there.”
Fearnow lives in Crawford and works as a busser at G Brand BBQ. She is also an advocate for Uniting for Change, a statewide network of self-advocates for people with disabilities to speak up and have their voices heard.
Zeuke’s influence, through efforts like Oglethorpe County Family Resource Center, is apparent in the school district’s parent involvement rate, which has increased in recent years.
According to the Georgia Department of Education, Oglethorpe County’s post-school outcome rates for special education students have mostly increased in recent years.
Alice McMaster, the county’s director of special education, said the county has 344 special education students, an uptick from the 320 from the previous school year.
McMaster sees the growth as a direct result of Zeuke’s dedication and knowledge about the community.
“You can talk to any parent in our county who has worked with her, and they will tell you how much she’s helped them,” McMaster said. “She’s a walking book of knowledge about the resources that are available. She’s such an asset to this community.”
Zeuke hopes to build relationships with local families to benefit the students and give them thriving outcomes.
“We want every person in the state of Georgia that has a disability to be able to do what they want to do, live where they want to live, be able to vote, be able to do all the things they want to do,” Zeuke said. “But it takes a lot of education so they know what to do.”