Photo by Victoria Gomez.
Angela O’Brien understood that motherhood would be an entirely new learning experience requiring lots of work. After having one child, O’Brien was thrilled to learn she’d be growing her family to four with a daughter. But shortly after her daughter, Casey, was born, O’Brien was informed Casey had Down syndrome.
She had no prior knowledge of what raising a child with Down syndrome looked like. Fearing the unknown, O’Brien did all the research she could to provide her daughter with the life and resources she would need to be successful.
“In some ways, I had to grieve the expectations I had for my child,” she says. “In the beginning I felt so alone. The small town we lived in before coming to Dallas didn’t expose me to other families with special needs.”
During moments she felt alone, O’Brien read all the books she could find on parenting a kid with special needs. It wasn’t until Casey was about six months old when she joined a special needs support group.
“I just felt like I could breathe again, because I didn’t feel so alone,” she says.
O’Brien began volunteering at the Down syndrome clinic at Children’s Medical Center, meeting with families who recently received a diagnosis, providing them with information and a support network.
“Sometimes I’m the first parent that they’re meeting, so they’re able to ask me questions about what parenting looks like,” she says. “I just remind them to not worry about their child because they’re all going to be okay.”
Casey’s diagnosis was a blessing in disguise.
O’Brien can’t envision what her family’s life would’ve looked like had Casey not been diagnosed with Down syndrome. It has made their life much more meaningful. Without their daughter they would have never moved to Dallas, made connections and create lifelong friendships.
Although things were progressing, O’Brien continuously feared for her daughter. She worried about school, bullying, classroom resources and more. Could she find an elementary school with teachers that met Casey’s needs?
At times, she was told to consider schools specializing in teaching children with special needs.
Nonetheless, O’Brien persevered. She enrolled Casey in a private elementary school in Castle Hills, where she’d be the first female with Down syndrome to attend the school. It was important to O’Brien for Casey to receive the same education as other students, in the same classroom, with the same teacher.
When it came time for Casey to attend Kindergarten, O’Brien enrolled her like every other student.
“I actually didn’t call the school and set up an IEP or meeting, I just enrolled her and went up [there] like everybody else,” O’Brien says.
It was her expectation that she attend kindergarten with her peers. She had everything ready like every other parent on the first day of school. She even had a team of allies in the neighborhood supporting her in Casey attending Castle Hills.
It was a great time for them, and Casey didn’t mind being around students who were not like her. Alternatively, she thrived being amongst other kids with special needs. And so, The Notre Dame School of Dallas came into the picture.
O’Brien met various families of special needs children. It was after speaking with a group of mothers in January it dawned on her to make a podcast.
In 2015, O’Brien searched high and low for a podcast that shared her vision but found none. As a result Especially Organized was born. The podcast is dedicated towards educating parents and providing them with a community.
What started as a passion project has captivated a large audience of parents seeking organization, inspiration and community.
“It’s really to help special needs parents get organized so that they can reclaim whatever it is that they need,” she said. “ There’s no other podcast out there that is dedicated to focusing on helping special needs parents get organized, my goal really is to build a community.”
The podcast is gaining popularity from parents, faculty and podcasters online since starting. O’Brien says she always felt like she was meant to do something more. At the time she was a stay-at-home mom, doing normal things, helping out where she could and for a while, it was a struggle.
It wasn’t until Casey came into her life, she’d find a new purpose and a gift she never knew she had. It’s a rewarding journey, not just parenting but being able to provide a community for parents whose children have special needs.
O’Brien is continuously learning from other parents and their children. She continues advocating for her daughter and providing resources for families at The Notre Dame School of Dallas.
“I don’ t want to stop learning,” she says.
