Wrightslaw

At Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills you need navigate the confusing world of special education. In this issue, we focus on paraprofessionals and advocacy training programs.

Highlights: Why you should request a paraprofessional, not an aide; how to request a one-to-one parapro for your child; FAQs about related services; how to get FAPE and avoid due process; advocacy training programs in Indianapolis, IN & Hartford CT; Partners in Policymaking; free online advocacy course for parents.

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

Wrightslaw is ranked #1 in education law, special education law, and special education advocacy. (Alexa rankings)

Why should parents request a paraprofessional, not an "aide," in their child's IEP? Why does Sue Heath say, "A simple change in the wording of the IEP document makes a huge difference in what it says."

Read "Request a Paraprofessional, Not an Aide" to learn about new educational and training requirements for paraprofessionals -- and new limitations on their duties and responsibilities.

Sue Heath writes Doing Your Homework about creative advocacy strategies. Sue is also the co-author of Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind published by Harbor House Law Press. Sue wrote:

The Parent's Guide to No Child Left Behind (also available as a 4 page printer-friendly pdf doc)

What Teachers, Principals & School Administrators Need to Know About No Child Left Behind (available in printer-friendly pdf)

Read more Doing Your Homework articles.

When parents request a "one-to-one" paraprofessional for their child, they are often disappointed and frustrated by the school district's response. Even when the district agrees to their request, parents may be unhappy with the results.

Parents need to know what they want for their child, how to get it, and the outcomes they expect.

In How to Request a One-on-one Parapro for Your Child, parent attorney Wayne Steedman describes qualifications of paraprofessionals and strategies parents can use to make their case for a parapro.

More articles about Advocacy

Do parents have to pay for related services? Who provides related services? How are these services delivered and coordinated? Funded?

Get answers to these questions in FAQs: Related Services

More Special Ed FAQs

This success story, "How We Got an Appropriate Education & Avoided Due Process" is subtitled "Preparation is the Key to Success."

Learn how one mom used Wrightslaw resources and training to advocate effectively for her child. "After struggling with our school district for over a year to provide services to my disabled child without success, I knew I had to . . . " Read story

More success stories

"The Wrightslaw Special Education Law Seminar in Michigan was a tremendously rewarding experience and will forever change our practice." - Bryan I. Eder, Esq., Chudnof & Eder, PLC

Wrightslaw legal advocacy programs focus on four areas: special education law, rights and responsibilities; tests and measurements to measure progress & regression; SMART IEPs; and advocacy tactics & strategies.

September 17: Indianapolis, IN

September 21-22: Hartford, CT (Mini Boot Camp)

"What a marvelous conference! I often leave sped presentations angry and/or guilty because of all the things that have been done or not done. This time I left encouraged, inspired and armed!"

Fall 2004: Programs are also scheduled in Virginia Beach, VA and Oklahoma City, OK. Full schedule

If you are interested in bringing Pete and Pam Wright to your community, please read our FAQs about Seminars. (We are now scheduling programs for 2005 and 2006.)

"This is a great course for new people who are interested in special ed advocacy work." - Glen Sexton, Utah special ed advocate

We learned about this online free advocacy course for parents from our good friend, Glen Sexton. Parents will learn about legal rights, special education documentation, and practical strategies to advocate for their children with special needs.

The course includes surveys, readings, self-study questions, and a short-answer assignment. You also receive an extensive resource list and a course certificate that you can print.

The course has been approved by the Teachers College, Columbia University Institutional Review Board (IRB) and meets the highest ethical standards. There are no obligations, all information is confidential, and participants may withdraw at any time. The instructor will register individuals through early October, at which time the course will end.

For more information about the course, please send an email to advocacy@exchange.tc.columbia.edu - tell them you heard about the course from Wrightslaw and The Special Ed Advocate newsletter.

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

Contact Info

Pete and Pam Wright
Wrightslaw & The Special Ed Advocate
P. O. Box 1008
Deltaville, VA 23043
Website: https://www.wrightslaw.com
Email: newsletter@wrightslaw.com