Juliet ("Julie") Barraza, Education Advocate, is the parent of two young boys, one of whom has developmental disabilities and epilepsy. Raised with Spanish as her primary language, she started translating at a very young age for members of her family and has continued to use her language skills as an active volunteer in the area of translation and special education, helping Spanish-speaking families to understand and access services for their children. She also has expertise on culturally appropriate services and supports for Latino families whose children have special needs. Barraza has been a consultant for the Blind Babies Foundation, the Regional Center of the East Bay, the Fremont School for the Blind, Cal-TASH, the University of California at San Francisco, California State University of the East Bay, and the Oakland Catholic Diocese. At the Castro Valley Unified School District, she participates actively in Ability Awareness Day, serves on the School Site Council, and is a Past President of the Special Education PTA.