Written by: Alice Zhang, FCSN Voices Youth Reporter
Graphics by: Kristina Guo, FCSN Voices Graphic Artist

In 2015, Yvonne Liu and her family joined the FCSN community after hearing about its various enrichment programs. Hoping to find one suited for her two children with special needs, she enrolled her youngest son in an art program. After numerous positive experiences, Yvonne became more involved with FCSN and soon, Jennifer Li, a current member of the FCSN board, reached out to her. From there, she embarked on a journey to help and support the special needs community.

Initially, Yvonne collaborated with Jennifer Li to organize various FCSN events, gradually evolving into inviting speakers for family gatherings. Eventually, she formally assumed the position of seminar coordinator. Since then, Yvonne has played a crucial role in reaching out and inviting unique and diverse speakers to FCSN. 

Yvonne mentioned that she especially enjoys inviting speakers who bring new perspectives to the FCSN community. For example, Yvonne recalled a time she had contacted a speech therapist who had worked with her son. The therapist didn’t believe standardized tests were very useful and had a unique approach to testing, probing for a child’s functional learning instead of academic achievement. At Yvonne’s request, the speech therapist spoke at FCSN and dispelled many previous misconceptions about the use of certain assistive devices. In the past few years, Yvonne has helped FCSN engage with a wider array of Bay Area specialists. “I think it’s good to consider how to fundamentally make a difference in our kids’ lives, no matter their age,” Yvonne said. She believes broadening the scope of engagement with different people in the Bay Area is essential for this. 

No journey is without its challenges, however, and Yvonne has faced her fair share over the many years she’s worked with FCSN. Audience engagement, in particular, has been something she’s struggled with in recent years. Yvonne noted a trend in which more families in FCSN have children who are relatively older. Because of their age, it’s harder for Yvonne to find families interested in listening to seminars about learning and development. “It’s really difficult to invite a speaker that talks about developing the minds of children with special needs when most parents are thinking: ‘This is how my children are’,” Yvonne said. This leaves her feeling constrained by a limited range of topics. Still, she believes the seminars are valuable for parents and hopes more families will attend in the future. “I want people to continue to think about developing the minds of individuals, regardless of their children’s ages,” Yvonne said.

Since joining FCSN, Yvonne greatly enjoys her role and finds that FCSN provides an environment where her children are comfortable and happy. She encourages families to consider FCSN for support and to become part of the community they are building. In the future, she aims to strengthen the seminar program and continue hosting sessions on stimulating and useful topics.