The Need for S.E.L.F.

Although a free and appropriate public education is a right guaranteed to all students under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the realities of special education in the US can be quite different. Parents and educators may disagree on the appropriate education of a student with specific needs: its goals, scope, and execution.

In Connecticut, the legal cost to bring a special education case to a due process hearing can be in excess of $50,000. These financial realities make protecting a child’s rights in special education inaccessible to all but the very affluent.