What's In Store at Wrightslaw?
Special Ed Law & Advocacy Training (6.5 hrs)
25% Off the Wrightslaw Bundle of 4 PRINT books for $58.35 (Sorry, coupons not accepted on this product)
Includes Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Ed., Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, 2nd Ed., Wrightslaw: All About IEPs and Wrightslaw: All About Tests and Assessments, 2nd Ed.
New! The Wrightslaw Bundle is now available as an immediate PDF download. All four Wrightslaw books as PDFs for just $49.95!
Planning and Preparation Are Your Keys to Success
"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."-John Wooden, UCLA basketball coach
"Can you imagine educating a child with a disability without a master plan? You do not know about the child's disability, how the disability affects the child's learning, or how the child needs to be taught. You do not know what services and supports the child needs."
"You
do not know what steps you should take to ensure that your child receives
appropriate services. You do not know if your child is making progress.
You are not aware of obstacles you may encounter or how to resolve
problems. Is it reasonable to think you will figure this out as you
go along?" (Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy
by Pam and Pete Wright)
If you
are like many parents, you are confused about your role. What
do you need to learn? How can you ensure that the school provides
your child with quality, appropriate special education services?
You need to understand your role, the school's mission, and how school
districts operate. You need to make long-term plans for your child.
You need to measure educational progress.
You need
to make long-term plans for your child. You are the constant factor
in your child's life. You represent your child's interests. If your
child does not receive an appropriate education and master the skills
necessary to be an independent, self-sufficient member of the community,
you will deal with the outcome.
The Parent as Project Manager
Project managers organize, plan, monitor progress, anticipate problems,
and ensure that jobs get done. On long complicated projects, a project
manager is invaluable.
Your child’s special education is a long-term project. As the
parent, you are the logical person to step into the role of special
education project manager.
Learn the most common reasons why projects fail, and why you need
to make plans, define goals, organize information, and build relationships.
Learn about the skills, information and attitude you need to act as
your child’s special education project manager.
Set aside
time to organize information about your child, make long-term plans,
write goals with timelines, and build working relationships with school
personnel. View your job You will negotiate with the school on your
child's behalf. Your goal is to get the school to provide your child
with a good special education program.
The
School's Mission
You need to understand the rules of the game - how decisions are made
in your district and by whom, and how parents are perceived by school
personnel.
The school's mission is to provide all children with a standardized
education. School districts use a general curriculum to provide
this standardized education to their students. Students are tested
periodically to find out if the school is accomplishing this mission
(these tests are often called high-stakes tests).
Generally,
schools represent their interests. Schools and school boards
are concerned about cost and efficiency.
Individualized Programs: Tailored to Unique Needs of Child
Special education is different. School staff and parents are required
to design an individualized education program for each child with
a disability that is designed to meet that child's unique needs
that result from the child's disability. Your child's special education
program is described in the Individualized Education Program or IEP.
The IEP includes important information about your child's present
levels, the child's needs, goals and objectives, and ways for you
and the school to measure your child's progress. The IEP describes
the services and supports the school has agreed to provide. (See FAQs
about IEPs)
Parents who learn about their children’s rights (and their own rights and responsibilities) and learn how to use tactics and strategies are more likely to succeed in getting good services for their children.
If you are a “new parent,” this Game Plan will help you get started. You need to learn about your child's disability, educational techniques, how to measure progress, how to negotiate, how to use tactics and strategies to negotiate.
Gather Information
To learn
about your child's disability, visit disabilities information web sites.
Use our Directory
of Disabilities Information Organizations.
Download, print, and read these articles from the Wrightslaw Advocacy
Library.
Crisis! Emergency! HELP! will help you devise short-term solutions and do long range planning.From Emotions to Advocacy: The Parents’ Journey helps parents understand their emotions and how to use emotions as a source of energy and strength.
Your Child Has School Problems: Whose Fault Is It?” teaches you about “school culture” and how this hidden factor affects educational decision-making.
The Art of Writing Letters teaches you how to write letters that get results, and how to avoid common pitfalls.
Understanding Tests and Measurements for the Parent, Advocate and Attorney teaches you how to measure your child’s progress in special education.
Your Child's IEP: Practical and Legal Guidance for Parents & Advocatesteaches you about the legal requirements for your child’s IEP and how to develop good IEPs.
Learn About Rights & Responsibilities
Read this Overview of Rights and Responsibilities published by NICHCY.
Visit the Law Library at Wrightslaw and download the IDEA Statute that includes Pete's commentary.
Contact your Parent
Training Information Center. Ask them to send you their
publications about parent advocacy - and ask if they have any
training scheduled.
Contact your state Protection and Advocacy Agency. Ask them to send you their publications about special education.
Get Private Sector Evaluations
Find a private sector expert who can work with you to develop an appropriate program for your child, evaluate your child's progress, and make recommendations to the IEP team about the services your child needs. (See Chapter 2 of Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy for tips about finding evaluators and consultants.)
Read One Book a Month
Select books in areas where you are least knowledgeable. You will find information about our “Book a Month” plan in the Advocate’s Bookstore at Wrightslaw.com
Subscribers to The Special Ed Advocate receive announcements and "alerts" about new cases and news events, new uploads, conference announcements, special offers, and more.
Join a Self Help Group: Help from the FETA Forum
& Wrightslaw Group
If you have questions or need help, visit the Wrightslaw Discussion Group.
We plan to add a Forum to the FetaWeb site so you can post questions and get answers.
Special Ed Advocacy Tutorial
You'll learn about the personal qualities of an advocate, basic legal rights under the IDEA and Section 504, Eligibility, Evaluations, Eligibility Meetings, Components of an IEP, Procedural Safeguards (designed to protect your and your child's rights), and discipline issues.
The tutorial also includes sample letters and forms, a glossary of terms, and links to dozens of resources.
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