Amber Byrd

Amber Byrd

Indiana Department of Health, Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education: Title: Educational Consultant, Parent Education Resource Liaison, Teacher for the Deaf

• B.S. Special Education Mild Disabilities, Deaf Education 
• Former Educator with Anderson Community Schools from 2012-2021
  • Deaf Education Coordinator
  • American Sign Language Teacher, World Language Credit
  • Special Education, Mild to Moderate Level, Employment Skills 
• Former Licensed Therapeutic Foster Parent
• Formerly: 911 Dispatcher, EMT, EMA, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Indiana District 6 Medical Task Force, SKYWARN Storm Spotter, Emergency Communications of ECI (EMCOMM ECI)

[email protected]
 

Lessons Learned

• Importance of being a mandatory reporter.
  • One of the most significant lessons is recognizing the critical responsibility that comes with being a mandatory reporter, especially when working with children with disabilities. These children may have limited communication abilities, may be more socially isolated, or may rely heavily on caregivers—factors that increase their vulnerability and reduce opportunities for disclosure. Understanding this reinforces the need for vigilance, strong observational skills, and a willingness to act even when the signs of maltreatment are subtle or ambiguous. An awareness that our at risk children may be targets of abuse due to their disabilities as well. Understanding your role as a mandatory reporter means prioritizing child safety over personal discomfort, uncertainty, or fear of damaging relationships with families or service providers post-reporting. Your role becomes is not just a legal requirement but a core component of ethical practice and advocacy for some of the most vulnerable children.
• Next steps once a report is filed (personal and professional experience)
  • Another key lesson involves understanding what happens after a report is submitted and the emotional and professional complexities that follow. Filing a report is not the end of your involvement—it is the beginning of a coordinated response aimed at ensuring child safety. Professionally, you learn the importance of submitting clear, objective, and detailed documentation so investigators have accurate context when determining next steps. Once the report is filed, the situation transitions into the hands of child protective services, and your role shifts to supporting the process rather than directing it.
  • There is also a personal dimension to this stage. Reporting can evoke a range of emotions, including concern for the child’s well‑being, uncertainty about the outcome, or worry about how your actions will be perceived by families or partners in the field. With experience, you learn how to manage these feelings while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries. You gain a deeper understanding of your ongoing responsibilities: remaining available to provide follow‑up information if requested, continuing to observe and support the child within your professional role, and ensuring that your environment remains psychologically and emotionally safe for the child during any investigation. This phase reinforces the importance of trust in the collaborative system and highlights how critical your role is in initiating protective action.
• Wraparound services – being discharged from care and what to expect next
  • Another key lesson involves understanding the importance of wraparound services as families transition out of formal systems such as child welfare, behavioral health, or educational supports. Many states offer family-centered, team-based wraparound programs that coordinate care across multiple providers and natural supports, helping families navigate complex needs long after intensive services end. These programs focus on empowering caregivers, aligning supports across systems, and ensuring a unified plan of care that reflects the family’s strengths, needs, and long-term goals.
    
    A significant insight, however, is that many families—and even many professionals—do not realize these services exist. As a result, families who could greatly benefit from wraparound may leave formal intervention without the ongoing structure, guidance, or community resources that could help them maintain stability. This lack of awareness highlights the importance of informed advocates who understand how wraparound works, who qualifies, and how to initiate referrals. Advocates who are familiar with the program can continue to spread the word of these services and share what to expect after before, during and after services. Together we can help can continue to advocate with a commitment to linking families with sustainable community supports. 
     

Resources Developed

•  A Family's Guide to Mental Health Treatment Placements - This presentation shares our family’s personal story and a big part of why I feel so strongly called to help others in this space. One of the hardest parts of our experience was simply not knowing where to turn. Resources were scarce, and even when we knew we needed help, we didn’t always know who could help us or how to navigate the systems in front of us. Sharing what we learned has become part of my own healing journey, too. If our experience can help another family feel less alone, better prepared, or simply give them someone who understands what they are going through, then something meaningful can grow from what we experienced.
  • Caregiver’s Organizational Handout – Designed to help families keep key information in one place during acute stays, residential treatment, and the transition home.
• How Trauma Affects the Brain of a Learner - I originally presented this at the ITDHH Conference a few years ago and have since repurposed portions of it into smaller lessons and presentations for parents, caregivers, and educators. This topic is deeply connected to both my professional experience as an educator and my personal experience as a parent, caregiver, and therapeutic foster-to-adopt parent. It has really shaped how I think about behavior, trauma, learning, and the importance of giving educators the tools to recognize what may be happening beneath the surface. I would love to continue exploring how our experiences and perspectives could complement one another, particularly around DHH children, communication access, foster care, first responders, and stronger collaboration between systems.

Suggested Resources

•  Indiana Child Mental Health Wraparound (CMHW) Program – FSSA/DMHA
• Firefly – Children and Family Alliance - Indiana (formerly the Children’s Bureau of Indiana – post-adoption services – it was a huge help to us)

Collaborative Areas of Interest

• American Sign Language, Deaf Community
• Helping others with the Foster to Adoption Journey and I feel a calling to share more about sharing what happens when you adopt special needs (behavioral, medical, SpcEd) and what happens on the journey to adulthood with teens that have experienced sexual abuse and/or substance abuse
• Presenting on topics, assisting with Webinars, creating documents – all areas I am familiar with