203. A High School Diploma Is Attainable - May Mallari

This week we talk with attorney and parent advocate May Mallari about what happens when expectations are set too early in a child’s education. We were drawn to her because her son, Devin, was placed on an alternate curriculum in elementary school but still earned a high school diploma. A path once thought to be unattainable. In this episode we discuss what to ask for and what to question because the information families are given is not always complete.  This is a great conversation about knowing your options, understanding how decisions are made and asking better questions before paths are set.

May is Founder and Principal of the Mallari Law Firm and has nearly 3 decades of experience representing workers exclusively in the area of labor and employment matters.

Mallari Law Group: https://mallarilawgroup.com

Episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi4R9dL4avnOh5T8VEejTmDL15gKp2i_u

Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wpcomstaging.com/2026/06/24/203-a-high-school-diploma-is-attainable-may-mallari/2/

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Summary:

This episode of If We Knew Then features attorney and parent advocate May Mallari, who discusses education decisions for students with Down syndrome and how early assumptions can shape long-term outcomes. Mallari’s son, Devin, was placed on an alternate curriculum starting in elementary school but later earned a standard high school diploma. Hosts, Stephen and Lori Saux, focus on how that outcome challenged expectations that are often set early in a child’s education.

Mallari explains that Individualized Education Program meetings were consistent and collaborative in her experience within the Los Angeles Unified School District, though she describes the structure of those meetings as starting from a deficit-based perspective. She notes that discussions often begin with what a child cannot do, which can influence decisions about placement and curriculum.

The conversation examines how curriculum placement decisions are made and how they affect access to a diploma. Lori Saux explains that her family pushed to keep their son on a general education cur