Today we’d like to introduce you to D.H Enterprise.
Hi D.H, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Deeqa Hussein. I was born in Saudi Arabia, grew up in Canada, and lived in Kenya. I currently live in Minneapolis, MN, and I am a Special Education Consultant and teacher with experience working with children with special needs and their families since 2015. In 2018, I got the opportunity to attend the University of St. Thomas to pursue my masters in Special Education and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) teaching license. As soon as I completed my graduate degree and license, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Nervous and unsure of what to expect, I took on my first classroom as an officially licensed teacher working with children with varying academic and behavioral needs. It was challenging for me to navigate being a new teacher and teaching through Covid-19 while also dealing with the pandemic’s effects, lockdown, and many other obstacles. I learned new skills, gained confidence, and built a lasting positive rapport with students and their families, especially during a time of isolation. I also successfully made it through my first year of teaching, further solidifying my passion and love for teaching children with special needs. I realized I wanted to do more beyond the classroom during my second year of teaching due to the numerous disparities in special education. One is an increase in the number of students qualifying for special education services with higher needs and schools not being able to manage the increased demand. Another alarming issue is the deeply rooted and complex racial inequities that affect marginalized populations. For example, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students are disproportionately over-identified into specific disability categories and under-identified in others due to bias. Another disparity is the lack of BIPOC special education teachers, lowering students’ educational experience through representation. I observed how uninformed parents are of their rights in the Individual Education Planning process, especially BIPOC parents, to no fault of their own.
I founded D.H Enterprise, LLC, a special education consulting organization to provide culturally competent and personalized special education consulting services to parents/guardians, school districts, organizations, and educators. My mission is to bridge the large diversity gap in the special education consulting space in the Twin Cities and Midwest area and address the disparities in special education services.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Working as a teacher and running a consulting business has not been easy. What keeps me going is the need for more equitable special education services and doing something about the alarming educational disparities in marginalized communities. I am one person, but if I can show parents and students that they are valued, seen, and heard, it can make a difference. One main challenge is allocating the finances needed to operate and maintain a business.
We’ve been impressed with D.H Enterprise, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We offer personalized and culturally competent special education services. In addition, we offer Somali translation and diversity and equity consulting. All our services are built on the foundation of cultural literacy and competency. D.H Enterprise fills an existing gap when it comes to a special education consulting business run by a BIPOC educator in Minnesota. We work with various clients (parents, schools, government agencies, and educators).
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters to me most is helping students with special needs and their families navigate the nuances of special education services. Knowing that these services could essentially change the trajectory of not only a student but their families motivates me to push forward and spread the knowledge. It is also important to me to have a more diverse representation in the field of special education.
Pricing:
- 30 min complimentary consultation
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dhenterprise.org/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dh_enterprise_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
