Get ready! Register for an upcoming Wrightslaw conference today. A Wrightslaw training program will teach the knowledge and skills you need to be an effective advocate.
In April 2009, Wrightslaw special education law & advocacy training programs will be held in Massachusetts, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
Can’t travel? Find out how to get advocacy training on CD-ROM.
April 2, 2009: West Boylston (Worcester/Greater Boston Area), MA – Special Education Law and Advocacy Training sponsored by The Autism Resource Center of Central Massachusetts. Speaker: Pete Wright.
April 18, 2009: Bradenton, FL – Special Education Law and Advocacy Training sponsored by the Family Network on Disabilities of Manatee/Sarasota, Inc. Speaker: Wayne Steedman.
April 30, 2009: Bethlehem (Allentown Area), PA – Special Education Law and Advocacy Training sponsored by The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties, Inc. Speaker: Pete Wright.
Over the next few months, Wrightslaw programs will be held in Hawai’i, Chicago and just outside of New York City. For information about these programs and a complete list of upcoming programs, please visit our schedule page.
Can’t attend a live program?
The Special Education Law and Advocacy Training program on CD-ROM includes all the content of the live Wrightslaw program … and more than an hour of bonus content. Be sure to check out the Legal Requirements of IEP’s CD-ROM. In this 1.25 hour program, Pete and Pam Wright will explain these legal requirements to you in clear, no-nonsense language.
Wrightslaw Training programs on CD-ROM are available 24/7 – wherever you live, whenever you want. Work at your own pace. Eliminate distractions and schedule your study periods at times that meet your needs.
I’ve also attended a Wrightslaw conference and continuously read and refer to my FETA book; however, as my advocacy skills have improved my team has started digging their heals in further and further … now it’s 14 against 1. Just last week at my son’s renewal meeting I was refused the right to submit and/or discuss my graphs and charts relating to recent IEEs at private expense. I was told I could not discuss until their Psychologist “validated” the entire report … was told I “wasn’t qualified” to produce the graphs/charts. (rolleyes) I’m not worried … the test meet district requirements and my graphs are valid … I played along and let them dig their hole … BUT … what do I do now to ensure this doesn’t delay my parental right to discuss at our continuation meeting in 20 days? How should “Miss Manners” handle?
Miss Manners would write a nice polite letter that documents what happened at the meeting. She would express her concerns about a possible delay of the continuation meeting and the negative impact this would have on her child, and ask when the meeting will be held.
If the school doesn’t respond, she would write another short letter repeating her request for information, and she would attach a copy of letter #1 to this letter. She might even hand-deliver the first letter to the school. After she delivered the letter, she would make notes about the date and time, who she gave it to, what that person was wearing, what they talked about. This is useful in the unlikely event that the letter gets lost.
My wife and I attended one of these conferences in 2007 and I highly recommend if for anyone invovled with a child with special needs.
From emotions to advocacy by Pam and Pete Wright offers so much insite to the importance of separating the two. When we are angry, we can not and do not make good decisions.
Advocacy goes beyond the school years of our children and is not a self taught skill. We may all argue that our school situation is different than most but these seminars will leave you understaning the need for having a good game plan for your child’s educational future.
Good Luck?