Thoughts for the New Year: Leading as an Ally
By Dr. Jodi L. Falk, Executive Director, St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf
Speaking My Truth
For 30 years, I have devoted my career to serving Deaf students and their families. I am here for the long haul. I have not only been a fierce supporter of the magnificent, creative leaders, researchers, educators, students and families within this beautiful community, I have also built my professional life in partnership with you. My work has always been grounded in best practices; care and relationships; and the belief that every person deserves to be seen, valued, and supported.
Here is something you may not know about me if you are just encountering this open letter… I am a single mother of a complex neurodivergent child.
I have been in the trenches with countless parents throughout my career. I understand the deep desire for understanding and belonging and the effort it takes to find the right educational supports, interventions, and therapies—guided by professionals who combine promising and research based practices with flexibility, understanding, and responsiveness. I move through the world with a different lens not as someone with a disability, but as someone who loves someone with disabilities. That truth has shaped me. It has sharpened my purpose. It has deepened my commitment.
The wonderful school community at SFDS
As a parent, I am navigating many of the same systems that impact the families I serve. Although I bring academic rigor, decades of experience as an educator & school leader, and deep networks across public and private sectors, perhaps more importantly, I bring the lived reality of advocating for my own child. I know what it means to search for representation, to push for appropriate educational options, and to hope that the spaces our children enter will honor who they are.
It is the combination of my education, professional & personal lived experiences and awareness of my privilege that grounds me in being a strong ally. At my core, I care deeply about people—and about changing the systems that shape their lives. I am committed to bringing out the best in students, staff, families, partners, peers, and policymakers alike. I am a connector, a collaborator, and a doer, and my work is rooted in partnership and community, guided by the belief that collective action is what creates lasting, systemic change.
What does it mean to be an ally?
For me, it means listening more than speaking.
It means showing up consistently, not conditionally.
It means using my access, my education, and my connections to move barriers…not to take space, but to help create it.
It means honoring the lived experiences of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Deaf Disabled individuals and their families while never positioning myself as their voice.
My role is to amplify, to advocate, and to ensure that systems evolve in ways that uplift the communities we serve.
As we step into a new year, I remain committed to the work ahead- strengthening partnerships, expanding access, and building environments where every student and every family is valued, supported, and celebrated.
And I am here fully, wholeheartedly for the journey forward.
