Together For Our Keiki - Peer Advocates

Maile Rogers, Ph.D., Peer Advocate (Utah)

Dr. Maile Rogers grew up in Aina Haina and was the second oldest of 6 kids. Dr. Rogers' older brother was severely disabled; one of his diagnoses was autism. Naturally, Dr. Rogers and her siblings grew up advocating for her brother and others with similar challenges. Dr. Rogers and her husband, Tyler have been married for 12 years and have 4 beautiful children together; 2 boys and 2 girls. Their oldest son, age 9, is brilliant and kind and thoughtful, and is on the autism spectrum. More recently their youngest son, age 3, was also diagnosed with autism. As a family, they do their best to enjoy every little milestone and take each day as it comes. In addition to her role as a full-time mother and volunteer advocate, Dr. Rogers also serves as a Parent Representative on the board for the Hawai'i Association for Behavior Analysis (HABA) and is also a volunteer member of the PAIMI (Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness) Council.

Maureen McComas, Peer Advocate (Oahu)

Maureen grew up in the Bay Area along with her 4 siblings, one of which struggled with severe disabilities. Because of the strong advocacy of her mother, her brother overcame many obstacles and now lives a fulfilling and independent life. Maureen and her husband of 33 years have 4 beautiful children and recently retired from 25 years of fostering medically complex infants and toddlers. Their 2 youngest are on the Autism Spectrum with co-morbid diagnosis. Maureen models that strong advocacy for her own daughters. She is passionate about helping and supporting other parents advocate for their children to receive appropriate supports and services in the school system and in the community. Maureen attended the Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy 2 day Bootcamp in 2017, and holds a certificate of completion as a Master IEP Coach after completing the Master IEP coach Mentorship Program. She also recently joined COPAA and looks forward to continuing to build her knowledge via their many courses and advocacy tools.