When S.E.L.F. clients reach out to me for guidance in selecting an attorney, I often point them towards COPAA – the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates – as a starting point. COPAA is a nonprofit, nationwide organization of attorneys, advocates, parents, and other related professionals dedicated to “protecting the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families.” In addition to their legal work on behalf of students with disabilities, COPAA provides resources for families to understand their rights and to professionals like attorneys and advocates to further their professional knowledge and credentials.
But finding an advocate can be tricky because of the lack of professional licensing standards for the field. Advocates and the field of special education advocacy differ from special education attorneys and the practice of special education law. While attorneys attend law school and pass the bar examination to practice law, no such authority exists to provide professional credentials to a special education advocate. Because of the lack of professional credentials, the process of searching for and finding a special education process can be confusing. In addition to their well regarded advocate training curriculum SEAT (Special Education Advocate Training), COPAA also has published a helpful article highlighting important guidelines for choosing an advocate.
Families who wish to initiate an application for the Advocacy Support Program should email Special Education Legal Fund at [email protected] to initiate a prescreening to determine basic qualification for the program. The application process involves completion of the application form, providing required documentation, and a brief phone interview. Applications for the pilot Advocacy Support Program will be accepted and reviewed on a monthly basis in April, May, and June of 2021, with application deadlines at the end of each month (April 30th, May 31st, and June 30th). As with all grants offered through Special Education Legal Fund, all grant funding is paid directly to the professional, and receipt of an application does not guarantee that the application will be approved or funded by Special Education Legal Fund.
Many families with children who have an Individualized Education Plan will be part of the special education system for many years. Families who transition from Birth to Three or Early Intervention Services to the special education preschools in their local school system could be part of the special education system until their child reaches the age of 22. For families at the beginning of their special education journey, an advocate can serve as a helpful and much needed guide through the intricacies of the identification process, the evaluation, the initial placement, and the first Individualized Education Plan. At other points in the journey, parents may also find themselves in need of advice and support – particularly during inflection points like the transition to elementary school, middle school, high school, and beyond.
Special Education Legal Fund believes that application of knowledge and support at various stages in a family’s special education journey can have a significant impact both on a student’s eventual outcomes as well as the family’s advocacy experience. For a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Advocacy Support Program, please see the link below. For more information about Special Education Legal Fund, please visit our website and follow @spedlegalfund on Facebook and Instagram, and @SpecialFund on Twitter.