Longtime Flagstaff resident Sarah Dorman understands the challenges families face accessing disability resources in a nonmetropolitan area.
Her family’s journey began when she noticed developmental delays in her son, diagnosed with autism at age 2. He started with the Arizona Early Intervention Program, or AzEIP, which provides in-home therapies for children under 3.
He attended public developmental preschool and grade school before transitioning in middle school to a microschool in Flagstaff through the Empowerment Scholarship Account, or ESA.
Along the way, Sarah found Raising Special Kids (RSK) and participated in a parent-to-parent connection, which matched her with another parent of a child with a similar diagnosis.
Sarah’s older son, now in college in Utah, was diagnosed with anxiety, ADHD and depressive disorder in high school. They explored available college-level support, including alternative testing environments.
Sarah grew up in Tucson and attended Northern Arizona University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business management. After college, she and her husband lived in California before returning to Flagstaff. She worked in retail and human resources before joining RSK.
After her parent-to-parent connection, Sarah stayed in touch with RSK as a parent leader, participated in panels on northern Arizona resources and attended Partners in Leadership, a statewide advocacy training.
“I caught the vision of RSK and saw how helpful it could be in bringing resources to Flagstaff,” Sarah said. She later joined its staff as northern Arizona representation.
Sarah and a friend also started a northern Arizona support group, now under Care 4 the Caregivers. The group meets monthly, allowing families to connect, bring children and share meals.
“Working for RSK lets me build bridges with parent leaders and key people in the disability community,” she said. “This helps create support and community for families in this region.”