Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Special-Needs Advocates Pack 1-2 Punch With BREN Clinic
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 5 years ago on
October 28, 2019

Share

Parents of special-needs children in the Valley have two bright, organized, and hardworking advocates in their corner.
Meet Jodie Howard.
After battling school officials to obtain needed services for her autistic son, she enrolled at San Joaquin College of Law to gain the knowledge to help him and others like him.


Listen to this article:
 


Portrait of GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen
Bill McEwen
Opinion
Meet Alissa Malakan.
When her daughter was diagnosed with autism, it seemingly took forever to get the services she needed.

Nonprofit Funds Classes for Special-Ed Parents

Howard graduated from SJCL as valedictorian and oversees the college’s new BREN Clinic. Its mission is to arm families with information so that members with intellectual and developmental disabilities can “obtain the education services, community services, and related support they need to reach their full potential.”
The BREN Clinic’s initial funding — $150,000 — comes from a nonprofit established by Malakan’s family and other families affected by autism. That nonprofit, Growing Resources for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, also is providing scholarships for 10 local graduate students seeking master’s degrees in special ed and speech therapy.
Together, Howard and Malakan, are determined to see that all Valley families of special-needs children receive the services they need and are legally entitled to.
“With my daughter, it took forever to receive that diagnosis and then it took forever to get services,” Malakan says. “It was just wrong, and I realized how far our area is behind where autism is concerned. I met a lot of families that had the same concerns. We decided we couldn’t wait, and we started GRAND.
“Our goal is to have developing kids in mainstream classrooms, for parents to know what their rights are, and how to go about getting those needs met.”
Howard’s decision to enter law school stemmed from her battles with Sanger Unified about her son Bren’s education. Now 15, he communicates through sign language and by typing. He now attends Buchanan High School in Clovis Unified.
“He is non-verbal, but he has communication skills,” Howard says. “As a parent, it shouldn’t be such a difficult battle. But it’s hard sometimes; the school and parents don’t always agree on what a child needs. Sometimes, there is a (legal) right the school is violating. We should be working together as a team to get what’s best for the child.”

Howard Authors Guide for Special-Needs Families

At one point, Howard went before an administrative law judge and won a request for more therapy for her son. But along with that victory, she said, came the realization that other families weren’t getting the help they needed.

Photo of the cover of A Parent Guide To Special Education Law & Proactive Advocacy
During her final year at San Joaquin College of Law, Jodie Howard authored a handbook for parents of special-needs children.
With the support of her husband, Rob, she applied to law school. Not only did she excel at SJCL, but Howard somehow found time to author “A Parent Guide to Special Education & Proactive Advocacy.
“When I was in my final year of law school, I went to the dean of academics (Justin Atkinson) and asked if I could replace water law or something else with a research project,” Howard says. “That turned into a paper, which turned into a book.”
People reviewing the book on Amazon have found it helpful.
Wrote one reviewer: “Finally! An easy to follow, concise guide through the myriad of the legalize of special ed. No longer in the dark and confused as a parent. Better prepared to be assertive in the child’s best interest. Kudos to Ms. Howard!”

Big Demand for Classes

Under the supervision of an attorney, Howard piloted the BREN Clinic by teaching parents’ right classes at SJCL. They filled up quickly and received positive feedback. The clinic’s next step is providing legal help for special ed families. Right now, Howard awaits the results of her California bar exam because she needs to be admitted to the bar to provide those services.
“We (advertised) on Facebook and within a week we had reached capacity,” Howard says.
The demand continues. In fact, advance registration has filled the spring 2020 classes, and names are being taken for a waiting list.
“I know there’s a need because I’ve lived it,” Howard says.

GRAND Seeks a Valley-Wide Impact

Malakan, meanwhile, is on the hunt for more donors. She wants GRAND to have a Valleywide impact, especially in rural areas where services are hard to find or nonexistent.

“I am hunting everybody down and asking for help. Everyone who has heard our story has been very generous. We would like to reach the rural communities.” — Alissa Malakan, founder of the GRAND nonprofit
“I am hunting everybody down and asking for help,” Malakan says. “Everyone who has heard our story has been very generous. We would like to reach the rural communities.”
Another goal is offering BREN Clinic classes in Spanish.
“That’s definitely on our radar,” Malakan says. “We need to find a Spanish-speaking attorney with a good heart.”
Photo of Jodie Howard in a law library
Jodie Howard teaches special education law and advocacy training classes at the San Joaquin College of Law’s BREN Clinic. (SJCL)
Correction: An earlier version of this column wrongly attributed Howard’s motivation for enrolling in law school over battles with Clovis Unified. 

DON'T MISS

Braves’ Jurickson Profar Hit With 80-Game PED Ban

DON'T MISS

Watch: City Demolishes Historic Chinatown Building to Make Way for Housing

DON'T MISS

The Mystery of Melania Trump’s Wedding Dress and an eBay Sale

DON'T MISS

Heading to Sierra? Prepare for Heavy Snow

DON'T MISS

Mexican National Caught in Fresno County Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

DON'T MISS

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

DON'T MISS

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

DON'T MISS

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

DON'T MISS

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard

UP NEXT

Heading to Sierra? Prepare for Heavy Snow

UP NEXT

Mexican National Caught in Fresno County Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

UP NEXT

Former MLB Pitcher CJ Wilson of Fresno on New Torpedo Bats: ‘Still Room for Innovation’

UP NEXT

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

UP NEXT

I Will Force Votes on Blocking Arms Sales to Israel: Sen. Bernie Sanders

UP NEXT

What Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Could Mean for Americans: Fareed Zakaria

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest 12 for DUI, Plan More Enforcement Operations

UP NEXT

Collision Leaves Two Dead, Several Injured After Clovis Police Chase

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: William Rodriguez Garcia

UP NEXT

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Heading to Sierra? Prepare for Heavy Snow

2 hours ago

Mexican National Caught in Fresno County Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

2 hours ago

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

3 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

4 hours ago

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

4 hours ago

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

4 hours ago

Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard

5 hours ago

Former MLB Pitcher CJ Wilson of Fresno on New Torpedo Bats: ‘Still Room for Innovation’

5 hours ago

Man Arrested After Shooting at Fresno’s Switch Nightclub

5 hours ago

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

6 hours ago

Braves’ Jurickson Profar Hit With 80-Game PED Ban

NEW YORK — Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended for 80 games without pay for performance-enhancing drug use. Major ...

1 hour ago

Jurickson Profar
1 hour ago

Braves’ Jurickson Profar Hit With 80-Game PED Ban

2 hours ago

Watch: City Demolishes Historic Chinatown Building to Make Way for Housing

Photo of First Lady Melania Trump
2 hours ago

The Mystery of Melania Trump’s Wedding Dress and an eBay Sale

2 hours ago

Heading to Sierra? Prepare for Heavy Snow

Miguel Obed Romero Reyes, 25, of Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty Monday, March 31, 2025, to trafficking more than 200,000 fentanyl pills after authorities seized the drugs during a traffic stop on Interstate 5. (DOJ)
2 hours ago

Mexican National Caught in Fresno County Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

3 hours ago

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

4 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) lines up for the goal line Tush Push play during the NFL championship playoff football game against the Washington Commanders, Jan. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP File)
4 hours ago

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend