Luz Hernandez - Executive Director of Philadelphia HUNE

Hi, my name is Luz Hernandez, I am both the Executive Director of Philadelphia HUNE, Inc. and a mother of three children; my eldest child – Andy – is diagnosed with Autism and multiple disabilities.  Thusly, I know first hand the amount of energy it takes to ensure that our children receive a free appropriate public education. 

 HUNE was established in 1998, and I have been the Director since the commencement.  HUNE’s original board of director and I are HUNE’s founding fathers.  At the time I established HUNE, I was an advocate for another organization and I saw the need for the Hispanic community to understand and advocate for their children’s with special needs rights to a free appropriate public education.  I had discussed this concern with my supervisor at the time – Janet Lonsdale – so when she saw an Request for Proposal from the Federal Department of Education she asked me if I was interested in servicing the Hispanic community with this grant.  I immediately seized the opportunity, and we applied for the federal grant.  HUNE spun off as an independent organization in 2001 and since then we have been funded through the Federal Department of Education and other private foundations.

 Through my experiences as a mother, an advocate and the Director of HUNE, I know that parents are the voice of our children.  It is our responsibility to ensure that our children get the same opportunities, whether or not they have a disability.  We must strive to ensure that ALL our children – especially our children with disabilities – become active members of our society and reach their maximum potential!