21 Jul
21Jul

On Substack, we don’t whisper our pain. We speak it boldly. We fight for justice. We raise the voices the world tried to silence.


My name is Nicole Moehring, and I’m so grateful you’re here. Whether you found this space through my books, my advocacy, or your own searching heart, know that you’ve stepped into something sacred. This is not just a blog. It’s not just a collection of thoughts or updates. This is my heart laid bare. From lived experiences, this is my children’s voices. Evan’s voice, Maci’s voice, and in many ways, your voice too.


I never imagined I’d be here.


I never imagined that my life’s work would be born from my children’s trauma.


But I believe that when the world gives you no other choice, you rise.


And when the world tries to silence you, you speak louder.


This is my story.

This is our story.

The Silence Before the Storm.

For years, I lived in a quiet, hopeful world. Like most mothers, I believed in the goodness of people. I trusted doctors, schools, law enforcement, and the systems that surround us. I believed that if something went wrong, the system would help us. That we’d be protected.

But nothing prepares you for the day you find out your child has been abused, molested, and exploited by the very people who you thought loved and cared about them.


Worse, nothing prepares you for the moment when the people who are supposed to believe and protect them, don’t.


My son Evan was diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome and autism, two diagnoses that shape every aspect of his world, and ours. He cannot advocate for himself. He cannot explain when someone crosses a boundary, or when a trusted adult becomes a predator, which made him extremely vulnerable. And a real life monster, took advantage of his innocence.


And the system? It didn’t come to his defense. Evan was failed repeatedly by those who were supposed to protect him: law enforcement, prosecutors and eventually, educators.


I spoke out and was met with skepticism. I fought back and was ignored. I begged for justice for Evan and he was discriminated against.


And then it happened.

My daughter was sexually assaulted.

By a different perpetrator.In a different jurisdiction.

Law enforcement and the prosecutor believed her. Why? Because she is neurotypical.

Her case was prosecuted. She received justice. Justice she rightfully deserved after being sexually assaulted. Her perpetrator was prosecuted and received:

• Jail time

• Is on the Ohio Abuser Register for 15 years

• Received a Mental Health Assessment

• Community Service

• Restraining Order

The grief was indescribable. The betrayal, suffocating. But in that unbearable darkness, something broke open in me.And in the breaking, I found my voice.


From Grief to Purpose

That voice led me to write Evan’s Voice, a book that took every ounce of courage I had. A book that pulled back the curtain on not just my son’s abuse, but the system that allowed it to happen and the mother who refused to stay silent. Later, I wrote Finding Myself, which tells the rest of the story: the personal unraveling and resurrection that came in the aftermath of trauma, heartbreak, and loss.


But writing books wasn’t enough. My voice needed reach. It needed purpose. It needed to ignite change.


I founded Voices of Change 2018, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for individuals with disabilities who are at risk of abuse. Through this work, I educate law enforcement, prosecutors, parents, educators, and the community on how to recognize abuse, support survivors, and reform broken systems.


I’ve stood in courtrooms. I’ve trained professionals. I’ve held the hands of mothers who are just beginning this fight. And I’ve looked my own children in the eyes and promised them: “I will never stop fighting for you.”


This Substack is an extension of that promise.


Why This Space Exists

This space is for the voices that were never believed.

For the parents who lie awake wondering if they could have done more.

For the survivors who are still navigating shame, silence, and recovery.

For the siblings who carry invisible burdens.

For the teachers, therapists, and allies who want to do better, but don’t know where to begin.

Here, I will write about:

  • The reality of abuse within the disability community and how often it goes unrecognized, unreported, and unprosecuted.
  • The gaps in our justice system, especially for nonverbal individuals.
  • How to teach body safety and consent in ways that are accessible to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • What it means to be a mother-advocate, navigating trauma, loss, hope, and justice all at once.
  • Stories of survival, restoration, and change because even in the darkest moments, there is light.

You’ll also find practical resources, reflections from my speaking engagements, and insights from my nonprofit work. I will bring you into my world, not as a hero, but as a woman who has walked through fire, carrying the voices of her children with her.


What I Ask of You

If you’re here, it means you care. And I want you to know your presence matters. Whether you’ve been directly affected by abuse or you’re simply seeking to understand, support, and stand alongside us, you are needed.

Please read.

Please share.

Please speak up.

Because every voice added to this movement makes it stronger.

I can’t undo what happened to my son.

I can’t take away the pain my daughter carries.

But I can fight like hell to make sure this doesn’t happen to someone else’s child.

And I will.

In Closing

This Substack is my heart. It’s my protest. My prayer. My purpose.

It’s the place where I choose to stand firmly in the light, refusing to let the shadows win.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening.

Now let’s raise our voices, together.

Respectfully,Nicole Moehring

Award-Winning Author • Keynote Speaker • Disability Advocate

Founder, Voices of Change 2018 and Evan and Gillian Say

Author of:

• Evan’s Voice

• Finding Myself

• Evan Says

• Gillan Says