Ruth Bakken

McKinney 

Ruth Bakken is a special education consultant and advocate with 15 years advocacy experience. She is a member of the Council for Parent Advocates & Attorneys (COPAA) and a graduate of SEAT 2.0, a nationally developed and recognized year-long course focused on advanced advocacy skills that help her better advocate and serve clients. Ruth has worked in special education throughout her career. She served as an Autism specialist at Utah’s Pingree School for Children with Autism, a program funded through the Utah state legislature. Ruth received her multi-sensory math practitioner certification and worked with students in grades 3-12 diagnosed with dyscalculia, dyslexia, ADHD, autism, processing disorders, and other neurodiverse learners to understand mathematical concepts and feel confident about math. Ruth is also experienced in performing various assessments and served as the lead assessor for a private company offering math services. She worked with Riverside Publishing to provide data for the Woodcock Johnson Test (WJ-IV).

Ruth has been married to her husband, Harry Bakken, for 28 years. She is a mom to five children who each have a disability. Ruth is also a self-advocate who has ADHD and an acquired disability from a rare disease she was diagnosed with in 2020. Ruth brings a unique knowledge, perspective, and experience in the IEP/504 process as both a parent and educator.

Ruth has served in numerous volunteer roles and positions focused on meeting the needs of families and children. She served as treasurer for her children’s local elementary and high school PTAs, president of the elementary PTA, and advocacy chair for the Frisco ISD Council of PTAs. She currently serves on the Frisco ISD Legislative Committee, Texas Dyslexia Coalition, SAGE chair on Emerson High School PTA, Texas Organization of Parent Advocates and Attorneys, moderator of a Special Education Parent Support Group on Facebook, and the FAPE Defense League. Ruth’s goal is to educate, support, and empower parents and children with disabilities in their advocacy ability and to have confidence in using their voice.

In her downtime, Ruth enjoys winding down with chocolate and Diet Dr. Pepper, cooking, spending time with her family, reading, and experiencing new restaurants.

Project Title

Empower Life: Navigating Rights and Services Across the Life Span

Project Description

Ruth’s project aims to help individuals with disabilities and caregivers better understand the rights and services available to them throughout all the various stages of life. The project will support individuals with disabilities in McKinney and Frisco, located in Collin County, Texas. Through this project, she hopes to equip parents and individuals with disabilities with the knowledge and resources needed to increase their advocacy and self-advocacy skills.