Gain knowledge about special education related issues
Special Education Advocacy 101
Special Education Advocates Diane Willcutts, Julie Swanson, Anne Munkenbeck, and Virginia Blum discuss special education advocacy basics and how advocates help families understand and navigate the special education process. Moderated by Lara Damashek.
Attorneys & Advocates: What’s the Difference?
Special education attorney Jennifer Laviano and special education advocates Julie Swanson & Diane Willcutts discuss the differences between special education advocates and attorneys, and when you might need one versus the other. Moderated by Christine Lai.
How to Find Hire & Keep the Right Special Education Attorney
Attorneys Lakshmi Mergeche, Greg Cangiano, Dana Jonson, and Meredith Braxton discuss how to find the right special education attorney for your student and family, and maintain that relationship through proactive communication strategies. Moderated by Lara Damashek.
A Life Plan for Special Education Advocacy
Special Education advocates Jill Chuckas, Virginia Blum, Anne Munkenbeck, and Diane Willcutts discuss how advocates can help parents establish a life plan for their child’s special education through an understanding of the advocacy process. Moderated by Lara Damashek.
What is a State Complaint?
State complaints are an important procedural safeguard in IDEA, but what exactly is a state complaint? How should parents and other organizations utilize state complaints in dispute resolution? How do state complaint procedures differ by state? How do individual states, particularly Connecticut, view their complaint obligations? What should parents know before filing a state complaint? When should a parent utilize a state complaint as opposed to filing for due process? Watch this special presentation featuring COPAA (Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates) Chris Roe and special education attorney Andrew Feinstein, moderated by Christine Lai.
Mediation & Due Process
Join us for a discussion on mediation, due process hearings, and conflict resolution in the special education process with Special Education Attorneys Andrew Feinstein, Jennifer Laviano, and Jeff Forte, moderated by Christine Lai.
Tuition Reimbursement & Transportation
What is tuition reimbursement for a special education student? How do parents seek tuition reimbursement for their child in a private special education school, and how does that process differ from an IEP outplacement? And once a student has been outplaced—whether by parent or district—how does transportation to the new school work? This webinar explores how parents can navigate the tuition reimbursement process and understand transportation to out-of-district schools, and features Special Education Attorneys Paul Barger and Andrew Feinstein, along with Special Education Advocate and CSE representative Lara Damashek.
What is an IEE?
Moderated by Christine Lai, Dr. Adrienne Smaller, Special Education Advocate Julie Swanson, and Special Education Attorneys Melissa Gagne, and Penelope Petzold discuss Independent Education Evaluations. Topics covered include what is included in an IEE, what an IEE is used for in the outplacement process, and how to secure an IEE with your school-based team.
How to Read an IEP
Moderated by Lara Damashek, Special Education Advocates Stacey Tié, Anne Munkenbeck, and Dr. Danielle Cohen discuss how to read and understand the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) from a parent’s perspective.
IEP vs 504 Plan
Moderated by Lara Damashek, Special Education Advocates Virginia Blum and Diane Willcutts join Special Education Attorneys Piper Paul and Dana Jonson to discuss the differences between Individualized Education Plans and 504 Plans from a parent’s perspective, including the legal differences between the plans, which plan may be right for your student, and remedies available under each plan.
Schools & Evaluations: Goals, Planning, & Beyond
Moderated by Christine Lai, representatives from special education schools including American School for the Deaf (Paula Morabito), Winston Preparatory School (Beth Sugerman), Villa Maria School (Bill DeHaven), Shrub Oak International School (Lauren Koffler), and Chapel Haven Schleifer Center (Christy Chandler) discuss evaluations and how independent special education schools utilize evaluations in assessing students both before and during enrollment.
Planning your Annual Special Education Meeting
Led by moderator Attorney Laura Sullivan, an expert panel including Attorney Dana Jonson, Advocate Stacey Tié, Clinical Psychologist Erik Mayville, and Windward School CSE Director Lara Damashek will explore planning your annual special education meeting.
What is Outplacement?
Moderated by Christine Lai, this panel features Special Education Attorneys Meredith Braxton and Courtney Spencer to discuss outplacement, whether it is appropriate for your students, and navigating the outplacement process with your school team and district.
Approved vs Nonapproved Schools
This panel, moderated by Christine Lai, features representatives from The Windward School, Villa Maria School, The Spire School, Chapel Haven Schleifer Center, and American School for the Deaf and explores issues related to approval status at special education schools in Connecticut and New York. This is a must-watch for any parent considering independent special education school placement for their student.
Finding the Right School: A Professional’s View
This webinar features education consultants Elaine Morales-Thomason and Katie Conroy-Ciervo as well as Special Education Advocate Diane Willcutts and BCBA Alisa Rohdie. Moderated by Christine Lai, this panel explores how parents can identify, evaluate, and select the appropriate educational program for their student.
How to Assess the “Best” School District for your Child
Special Education Attorney Laura Sullivan moderates a panel of experts including Special Education Attorney Naomi Nova, Dr. Elizabeth Hannaway, neuropsychologist Dr. David Porrino, and Special Education Advocate Diane Willcutts on how families can look beyond rankings and reputation to evaluate whether a district can meet their student’s needs. Topics include how to start with the student, what a true continuum of services looks like, how to investigate a district, red and green flags, and the trade-offs between staying, transferring, going private, or moving.
Let’s Talk Summer Programs
Special Education Attorney Laura Sullivan moderates a panel of educators from five schools serving students with diverse learning needs- American School for the Deaf, Winston Preparatory School, Fusion Academy, Villa Maria School, and Eagle Hill School. This webinar covers what any family should expect from summer programming, including staffing, structure, measuring progress, and how to tell whether a program is a good fit. Each school also shares what makes its own summer offering distinctive.
School Avoidance and Refusal
Join us for a dynamic, solutions-focused webinar bringing together a multidisciplinary panel to help families and schools better understand, respond to, and support students struggling to attend school. Moderated by Special Education Attorney Laura Sullivan, this discussion features neuropsychologist Dr. Erin Micali, Special Education Attorney Meredith Braxton, Special Education Advocate Mary Waghorne, and Head of Fusion Fairfield School Amanda Sylvester. Together, the panel will explore root causes, early signs, legal considerations, evaluation and intervention strategies, and practical school-based and home-based approaches to re-engagement.
The School Year Is Not Going Well
Special Education Attorney Jennifer Laviano, Special Education Advocate Virginia Blum, Clinical Psychologist Lauren Riordan, and Villa Maria School Head of School Bill DeHaven discuss strategies to support students with IEPs, 504 Plans, and in special education programs as they acclimate to a new school year, new teams, and new educational programs.
Bullying
This webinar explores the topic of bullying, special education, and how the law protects students with IEPs and 504 Plans who have experienced bullying at school. Special Education Attorneys Andrew Feinstein and Jeff Forte will join Steve Hernandez, Executive Director of ConnCAN, for an in-depth panel and Q&A exploring these topics, moderated by Christine Lai.
Back to School: Ask the Advocates
Moderated by Christine Lai, this panel features Special Education Advocates Dr. Danielle Cohen, Jill Chukas, Allene Grafman, and Stacey Tié to discuss how to prepare for your student’s return to school, tips for working with your new teachers and team, and how to monitor your student’s progress through the new school year.
Transition to Elementary
This webinar explores how parents can effectively advocate for students with special education needs as they transition to preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school. Moderated by Special Education Advocate Virginia Blum, panelists include Special Education Advocates Anne Munkenbeck and Jane Faherty and Special Education Attorney Dana Jonson.
Middle School: Are You Ready For It?
Moderated by veteran educator and Head of Villa Maria School Bill DeHaven, this panel features Special Education Advocate Stacey Tié, Special Education Attorney Meredith Braxton and Clinical Psychologist Emily Pomerantz Altman.
High School: Are You Ready for it?
Moderated by Christine Lai, panelists from Villa Maria School, Eagle Hill School, Winston Preparatory School, Spire School and Fusion Academy discuss high school preparation and readiness.
The Cliff: Transition & Beyond
Moderator Special Education Attorney Laura Sullivan joins panelists Special Education Attorney Melissa Gagne, Special Education Advocate Julie Swanson and transition service program representatives from Chapel Haven Schleifer Center, Winston Preparatory Transitions, and Pinnacle Transitions to discuss approaching the post-secondary school “cliff” for students with special education needs, including preparation, legal and advocacy issues, transition planning and programs, and beyond.
Exploring Post-Secondary Transition
This webinar, moderated by Christine Lai, discusses post-secondary transition programs and features representatives from transition services programs at Winston Preparatory Transitions, Chapel Haven Schleifer Center, and Westport College Prep.
Preparing for College
If you are a parent/caregiver of a student with a 504 Plan or IEP, or who is enrolled at an independent special education school, this webinar features representatives from Winston Preparatory School and The Harvey School along with Special Education Attorney Marion Walsh and explores college preparation course selection, accommodations in high school and college, standardized tests and more. Moderated by Christine Lai.
Preparing for College: A Parent’s Guide
Your student is leaving for college! What legal forms are required for my student in college in-state or several states away? How does my student navigate the college accommodations process? What happens if my student needs more support than their college can provide? Moderated by Christine Lai, this panel features Special Education Attorneys Marion Walsh, Alessandra Messineo, and Winston in College representative Tabitha Mancini to answer these questions and more.
Dyslexia: Screening, Identification, and Support
Join Special Education Attorney Laura Sullivan as she moderates a panel including Special Education Attorney Jeff Forte, Special Education Advocate Siane Willcutts, Reading Specialist Kristen Viesselman, and Eagle Hill Educator Megan Colvin for this in-depth discussion on dyslexia.
Supporting Students with Autism
Moderated by Christine Lai, join Special Education Attorney Melissa Gagne, Special Education Advocate Julie Swanson, and representatives from The Pinnacle School and Chapel Haven Schleifer Center to discuss supporting students on the autism spectrum throughout the life cycle.
Supporting Students with Executive Function Needs
Executive functions are specific skills and actions that we use to manage ourselves effectively, often in the pursuit of specific goals. They involve planning, problem solving, self-regulation, flexibility, organization, and time management- among other things. Many students of all learning profiles struggle with these skills, but how do we support those deficits in the school and the home environment? Moderated by Christine Lai, this webinar features representatives from Winston Preparatory School, Villa Maria School, Fusion Academy, Eagle Hill School, and The Waverly Group discussing this and more.
Anxiety & Mental Health at School
Join us for an important webinar that explores educational support for students with anxiety, depression, school refusal, and other mental health concerns. Our expert panel includes Special Education Attorney Dana Jonson, Dr. Adrienne Smaller, and a representative from The Spire School. Together with Moderator Christine Lai, the panel will examine how to best support students in the educational setting, sharing their knowledge and experiences.
Helping Kids Build Strong Social Competencies
Attorney Laura Sullivan is joined by a panel of educators from Winston Preparatory School — Innovation Lab Director Elizabeth Mendelsohn, Connecticut Head of School Stephanie Zabar, Dean of Students and Academics Lorraine Adams, and faculty members Meghan Gentile and Kayley Podolak. Together, they present current research on the development of social competence, discuss common challenges that children with learning differences face both in and out of the classroom, and share practical strategies that families can use to support their children’s social and emotional success.
Divorce & Special Education Law
This webinar is moderated by Christine Lai and features Special Education Attorneys Laura Sullivan, Melissa Gagne, Courtney Spencer, and Jeff Forte and explores how to navigate the divorce process through the lens of special education law, addressing questions like who makes special education decisions, how should a divorce or custodial decree consider special education issues, what parent has educational decision-making authority when not specified in a divorce decree, and more.
Special Needs Trusts and More
Moderated by Michael Delgass, J.D., Managing Director and Financial Advisor, hosted by S.E.L.F. Staff Attorney Laura Sullivan, and featuring Rich Yam, J.D., Senior Vice President, Director of Wealth Strategy-Wealth & Tax Planning, this popular webinar will explore how parents can effectively plan for students with special needs. Our distinguished panel will discuss ABLE accounts, special needs trusts, guardianship, supported decisionmaking, and more.
Lunch & Learn 1: The Referral Process
Lunch & Learn 2: Special Education Eligibility
Lunch & Learn 3: Prior Written Notice & IEP Language
Lunch & Learn 4: Present Levels of Performance
Eagle Hill School
Winston Prep Connecticut
Winston Transitions
Pinnacle School
Spire School
Villa Maria School
Chapel Haven Schleifer Center
Fusion Academy
These webinar recordings are presented for informational purposes only. These webinars are intended as a resource for families who are navigating the special education system in Connecticut or New York. These webinars are NOT intended to provide legal support, advice, or assistance to any particular individual, nor is it intended to replace the advice and counsel of a qualified special education attorney. Families in need of legal advice, support, or assistance should contact a special education attorney licensed to practice in Connecticut or New York to discuss the specific needs of their individual student. These webinars should not be construed as an endorsement by Special Education Legal Fund or any of its representatives of any of the participants. Opinions expressed represent the opinion of the presenter or panelist and do not reflect the thoughts, sentiments, or intent of Special Education Legal Fund, its representatives, or its Board of Directors.
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