Positive family–school–community relationships are associated with student success. Creating successful relationships with parents is an important
but difficult task for teachers to master. Threrefore, teacher candidates need
opportunities to learn how to develop collaborative relationships with parents
of all children, including children with disabilities. This paper describes the
implementation of the Families as Faculty Program (FAF), jointly developed
by a parent center and a special education program at a southwestern university. Th purpose of this program is to prepare teachers and other professionals
in the community to work collaboratively with parents in an effrt to improve
services, develop partnerships, and to increase positive outcomes for students
across the full range of disabilities. Ths program provides teacher candidates
with a unique opportunity to learn fisthand from parents who agree to share
their experiences and stories about the strengths, diffrences, and challenges of
raising a child with disabilities. Ths article describes the way in which FAF was
integrated into a graduate-level course in a special education master’s degree
program. Information is given on how other teacher preparation programs can
access materials created through FAF for their own programs.