Download the online version of this newsletter: https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/nwltr/2002/nl.0813.htm


Wrights
law


The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter
August 13, 2002


Home  
Issue - 174

ISSN: 1538-3202

In this Issue


Advocating for Your Child - Getting Started

Advocacy 101: Documents, Records & Paper Trails

Free Shipping & Discounts End on August 15!

How to Disagree with the IEP Team Without Starting WWW III

Hot Links: Resource Directories & Yellow Pages

Tips: How to Find a Consultant, Advocate, Attorney

Advocacy Training - Richmond, VA (Sept. 16, 2002)

CLE: Special Ed Practice in VA
(August 22, 2002)

Subscription & Contact Info



Subscribe

Email:
Name:


A new school year is beginning. If you are the parent of a child with special educational needs, it's time for a refresher course in effective advocacy. If you are a teacher or special ed service provider, you may want to fine-tune your advocacy skills on behalf of your students.

Highlights: Advocating for Your Child - Getting Started; Documents, Records and Paper Trails; Free Shipping & Discounts - Summer Sale Ends on Friday; How to Disagree with the IEP Team Without Starting WW III; Resource Directories and Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities; How to Find an Educational Consultant, Advocate or Attorney; Wrightslaw Advocacy Training in Richmond Virginia; CLE: Special Ed Practice in VA.

The Special Ed Advocate newsletter is free - please forward this issue or the subscription link to your friends and colleagues so they can learn about special education law and advocacy too. We appreciate your help!

https://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

Planning for the new year? Learn how you can start a FETA Study Group.

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.feta.groups.htm


1. Advocating for Your Child - Getting Started

Good special education services are intensive and expensive. Resources are limited. If you have a child with special educational needs, you may wind up battling the school district for the services your child needs. To prevail, you need information, skills, and tools.

In
Advocating for Your Child - Getting Started, we help you get off to a good start:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/advocacy_intro.htm

Do you want to learn more about advocacy? You will find dozens of articles, tips, resources, and cases on the Parent Advocacy Page:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.index.htm


2. Advocacy 101: Documents, Records & Paper Trails

Good records are essential to effective advocacy. You can use simple low-tech tools to record your contacts with the school: calendars, logs, journals.

Learn how to keep a log of telephone calls, meetings, important conversations, and correspondence in
Advocacy 101: Documents, Records and Paper Trails

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/advo.create.trails.htm

Write letters to clarify events and what you were told. When you train yourself to write things down, you are taking important steps to protect your child's interests.

If you have a dispute with the school, your logs and letters are independent evidence that support your memory. Documents that support your position will help you resolve disputes early.

Learn more about letter writing, documentation and paper trails at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/ltrs.index.htm


3. Free Shipping & Discounts - Summer Sale Ends Friday, August 16!

To make Back to School a little easier, you will find good deals, great deals and super deals during our Summer Sale!

https://www.wrightslaw.com/news/2002/summer.sale.htm

* Free Shipping on All Books - Save $4.95  

* Free Shipping & Discounts on All Combos - Save $9.95 or $14.95!

When you order Wrightslaw: Special Education Law and Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, you save $9.95 ($5.00. on the books and free shipping at $4.95) 


When you order the deluxe edition of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law with the Special Education Law CD ROM (retail: $39.95) and Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy (retail: $29.95), you save $14.95 ($10.00 on the books and free shipping).

Internet Orders: https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/index.html

Mail, Phone & Fax Orders:
https://www.wrightslaw.com/bks/orderform.htm

"In Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, the Wright's give parents a clear roadmap to effective advocacy for their children. We award their work the Exceptional Parent Symbol of Excellence." - Exceptional Parent Magazine

?Wrightslaw: Special Education Law makes you feel you have an attorney at the IEP table with you!" - Janie Bowman, Olympia, WA

Order Now! The Summer Sale Ends Friday, August 16! 


4. Tactics & Strategy: How to Disagree with the IEP Team . . . Without Starting WW III

Pete answers questions about IEPs and teaches you how to disagree with the IEP team without starting World War III. Learn about the Rules of Adverse Assumptions, how to use tape recording and thank you letters to clarify issues, and how to deal with an IEP team bully.

Read How to Disagree with the IEP Team at -

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/strategy.disagree.htm



5. Hot Links! Resource Directories & Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities

Suzanne writes, "I made a link to our state Yellow Page on the Fetaweb.com site for two reasons: your Yellow Pages are far more complete than anything I could easily build and I know you keep these pages up to date."

Suzanne is right! Do you collect information for a website about special education or children with special educational needs?
Are you looking for information and resources for parents, teachers or advocates for children with disabilities?

If the answer is "yes", please check our Resource Directories and State Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities on Fetaweb.

Resource Directories & Yellow Pages

Directory of Disabilities Organizations & Groups:
http://www.fetaweb.com/help/disabilities_orgs.htm

Directory of Legal & Advocacy Resources:
http://www.fetaweb.com/help/legal_advocacy.htm

Directory of State Departments of Education:
http://www.fetaweb.com/help/seas.htm

Directory of Parent Training Information Centers: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/ptis.htm

Directory of Best School Websites: http://www.fetaweb.com/best.htm

Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/states.htm
(31 states down, 25 states and territories to go)


6. Tips: How to Find an Educational Consultant, Advocate, or Attorney

Do you need to find an educational consultant, advocate or attorney who represents children with disabilities? Read How to Find an Educational Consultant, Advocate, Attorney at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.referrals.htm


7. Wrightslaw Advocacy Training in Richmond, VA - September 16, 2002

Parents of children with disabilities encounter many obstacles when they advocate for their children. Two obstacles are isolation and lack of information. We are working to remove these obstacles.


On September 16, we will present a full day of advocacy training where you will learn about:


* Special education law, rights and responsibilities;
* How to use the bell curve to measure progress & regression;
* SMART IEPs;
* How to use tactics & strategies for effective advocacy.

This advocacy training workshop is for anyone who works with children in the special education system.

Registration.
All registrants will receive Wrightslaw: Special Education Law book and the Virginia Special education Regulations. A buffet lunch will be provided at conference site.

More Information
Download and distribute the flyer designed by the Autism Program of Virginia. Please call 804-355-0300 or 800-649-8481, email information@autismva.org or visit www.autismva.org.

For information about programs over the next few months, please check our Seminars & Training page: https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/index.htm

If you are interested in bringing Pete & Pam to your community, please read our FAQs about Seminars.


8. CLE: Special Education Practice in Virginia - August 22, 2002

On August 22, 2002, the Virginia Legal Advocacy Center will offer its special education CLE, Special Education Practice in Virginia, in Richmond:

http://www.virginialac.org/content/training_aug2002.shtml

The program carries 7 CLE credits, including 2 ethics credits, and 3 Guardian ad litem credits. The training is geared toward attorneys, advocates, and parents considering or involved in due process.

Get more information about Special Education Practice in Virginia at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/02.08.va.htm


9. Subscription & Contact Info

The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education legal and advocacy issues, cases, tactics and strategy, and Internet resources. Subscribers receive announcements and "alerts" about new cases, events, and special offers on Wrightslaw books. 

To subscribe: https://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

Read back issues: https://www.wrightslaw.com/archives.htm

Link to Us
- More than 1,000 sites link to Wrightslaw. If you want to spread the word about special education advocacy, download a banner or image:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/link_to_us.htm

Wrightslaw & The Special Ed Advocate (ISSN: 1538-3202)
Pete and Pam Wright
P. O. Box 1008
Deltaville, VA 23043
Website: https://www.wrightslaw.com
Email: Webmaster