EMOTIONALLY SPEAKING

When You Need An Advocate

People tend to be uncomfortable in new situations or in situations where they do not fully understand the implications. Schools can sometimes inadvertently provide these confusing situations. The institution can seem intimidating, especially for parents of a child with special needs. Added to the mystery of educating children with special needs is the federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, known as IDEA. Congress reauthorized the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1990 and changed the name to IDEA. The purpose of this law is to make sure that children with disabilities are given a free and appropriate public education, known as FAPE, and to prepare these students for the future. This entitlement is guaranteed by the IDEA law and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 is part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and it was actually the first civil rights law for people with disabilities. It specifically prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities.

It may appear to you after reading the preceding paragraph that you might need to be an attorney or hire one in order to be an informed parent. If your child has a disability, these laws and regulations are important since they provide protections for your child. Parents need to know that the school must identify children with disabilities and make appropriate accommodations to enable the child to progress. This requires some type of assessment or evaluation to determine the presence of a disability. The school must obtain your permission before evaluating your child, and they can also ask you to provide certain health, academic or medical information concerning your child Next, the school schedules an Individual Educational Plan meeting (IEP Meeting) or in Texas, an Admission, Review and Dismissal meeting (ARD meeting).

When you attend your first ARD meeting, you will hear many acronyms you may not understand. Some examples: IEP, LD, TBI, or APE. Many teachers may not be aware of a parents’ comfort level at these meetings and simply move through the agenda without giving the parents ample time to digest the information, clarify or ask questions. The real purpose of these meetings is for the school staff and the parents to discuss, plan and formulate how to best meet the needs of the child with the disability. Parents can feel threatened and ill at ease in these meetings. When the parents leave, they may realize they did not ask enough questions.

This is a typical scenario: you are the parent of a child with a disability, and at the ARD you may have neglected to ascertain who would assist your child at lunch. You then call the school, and the teacher says she does not have the staff to sit with every child during lunch. Your child cannot feed himself due to his disability. After speaking with the principal about your concern, she may say that her school is fostering independence and lunch is a good place to start. Next, you try calling the counselor who tells you to send food prepared in such a way that your child can eat independently. She also suggests that you are welcome to come every day to assist your child at lunch.

You have tried talking to the people at school without success. The school has said it is best for your child to learn independence. Your child elects not to eat while at school, and he is embarrassed. What do you do? You do not want to make the school staff mad for fear they might further ignore your child. This is the sort of scenario where you need an advocate!

Or consider this scenario: your child is not able to keep up in math class. Your child has always struggled with numbers. You think things will improve with more time, but your child starts to hate math class, is called out in front of the other students and is failing. You call the teacher to ask for help. The teacher says your child is not trying. She suggests you work with the child at home. Again, you need an advocate!

An advocate fights for the rights of the child. An advocate can also help parents understand testing, their parental rights, along with the technical acronyms, in addition to preparing the parents for the ARD meeting. Advocates can attend ARD meetings with the parent and are able to assist the parent in negotiating with the school over any differences of perspective. Finally, an advocate will make sure that all of the federal regulations and timelines are being followed. An advocate is a partner with the parents to ensure that the child’s needs are being met, and that the child is making progress in his education.

As a parent you have many options for educational advocacy, but one of the best is a non- profit company called Anam Cara of North Texas in Prosper. They can provide an advocate for you at a very fair price. Please feel free to look at their website. Contact them anytime you have a question, concern or need. Anam Cara is here to help parents navigate the muddy waters of special education, and they can provide the right partner for you.

PEGGY MCMILLAN is the Education Specialist of Anam Cara of North Texas. She is a skilled in Autism Spectrum Disorders, K-12 Education, Early Childhood Education, Classroom Management, and Educational Technology. Strong education professional with a Bachelor’s degree/Ph.D. focused in History from Georgia State University/University of North Texas. Administrator in general education and special education. Headmaster of a private school.