Beheschta Barati

Specialty: Dari, Farsi, German
Originally from Afghanistan, I understand the unique challenges faced by families raising children with special needs. With both personal experience and professional expertise, I’m here to assist Farsi/Dari-speaking families in navigating the system. I’m dedicated to supporting families through coaching, so they can advocate for their children and access the support networks they deserve.

Sumathi Balaji

Specialty: Hindi, Tamil
I am a parent turned advocate. I enjoy learning and researching services available for children with complex needs. My life’s satisfaction comes from helping families receive the services they deserve. When I am not researching, I enjoy being outdoors.

Ali Hernandez

Specialty: Spanish
My son has led me to knock on the doors of FRN years ago after his diagnosis. And today I’m proud to be part of this great team and to be able to support the community, as one day they did with me.

Selina Zhan

Specialty: Cantonese, Mandarin
I am a mom of two children and first came to FRN as a parent. I am very happy to work in the FRN organization. I have received a lot of training at work and have increased my knowledge of special education, which enables me to better support my children. I also very much hope to help more families who have similar experiences and needs, and to help people in the Alameda County community.

Mayyadah Zaidani

Specialty: Arabic
I studied democracy and human rights and I am an advocate for women. I love helping others and making more people aware of the services and resources they can be provided with, especially Arab people because I come from the same background as them and want to guide them in the right direction by providing them with useful resources.

Isabel Alvarez

Specialty: Spanish
My son Santi, who is 10 years old, has autism. I attended an FRN support group and from day one I felt welcomed, understood, and started to know about resources for my son. My goal is to help families by connecting them with the system to make their journey a little easier.

Alex Guerrero

Specialty: Spanish
I love working for an organization that does amazing things for the community. I found out about FRN through my mom because FRN helped her in many ways. I love what we do and am so happy to be a part of this team. In my free time, I enjoy fitness and watching movies.

Sameena Ishaq

Specialty: Hindi, Urdu
I am the warrior mom of two kids and my younger son has a rare disease and has special health care needs. In addition to working at FRN, I co-run the Union City Special Needs Library Playgroups. I have a passion for arts and crafts. I enjoy working with families and helping them advocate for services.

Rocio Peralta

Specialty: Spanish
I joined FRN after being a parent leader. The other staff tease me and say that they always know when I am working because they smell coffee and popcorn – but I like coffee and popcorn.

Sonia Waters

I have been working with FRN for over 20 years, and I stay because it is so rewarding to work with families. And I get to see lots of babies, and I do love seeing the babies.