Melanie Perkins McLaughlin

Melanie Perkins McLaughlin, EdM is the proud mother of three children one of whom has Down syndrome. Melanie first came to the Federation as a parent with a prenatal diagnosis seeking resources, then as a volunteer and later a board member. Melanie was the first Allen C. Crocker Fellow with the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston and Boston Children’s Hospital. She has a master’s degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she was a Teaching Fellow with senior faculty member and pioneer in inclusive education, Dr. Thomas Hehir. She was also an equity coach with the Harvard Reimagining Equity and Diversity (RIDES) project. Melanie was a family faculty member with the Arc of MA and Operation House Call at Tufts Medical Center, a program that educates doctors about best practices for treating individuals with disabilities. She is a school committee member with Medford Public schools and was the co-chair of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Educations Special Advisory Council (SAC). Because of both her personal and professional expertise, Melanie is passionate about removing systemic barriers for marginalized children and families. She believes family-centered care improves outcomes for all. Melanie is also an Emmy-Award winning documentary filmmaker who transformed a traumatic childhood experience into a formative life lesson through her HBOMax documentary, Have You Seen Andy.