Are you a parent of a special needs child who has been told things that are not true about your child’s education, by disability educators? Are you a parent who is afraid to stand up to the deceptions? Would you like to learn six disability advocacy tips, for standing up to some educators who are not truthful? This article will teach you easy to use parenting tips to help you in your fight for your child’s educational life. These tips along with knowledge ofthe Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will help you in
your disability advocacy journey.
I will give an example of a common lie that is heard by many parents,and follow up with six tips.
Lie: "I am sorry, we cannot give your child speech therapy, becausethe category your child receives special education under is a learning disability." (Be sure that your child is tested in all areas of suspected disability! Some school personnel deny services without even testing the child, to see if the child needs services in a specific area such as speech).
Tip 1: Ask for, in writing, a copy of the state or federal law that the school person is using to deny needed special education services. (IDEA does not allow school districts to base services on labels, only educational needs). For example: "Could you please show me, in writing, the state or federal law that states that you have the right to deny my child an educational service that they need."
Tip 2: If the disability educator made this statement in a verbal
conversation, as soon as possible after the conversation, write the educator and quote what they said. Also, keep a copy. It may be necessary to write the special education person a couple of times, to get a response.
Tip 3: Use the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to strengthen your position. For Example: "IDEA states that the purpose of the law is to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and RELATED SERVICES designed to meet their UNIQUE NEEDS . . .Section 1400 Purposes."
Tip 4: Tell the disability educator, in writing, that since they are not able to show you a state or federal law that states that your child’s label determines service (it doesn’t), that you stand by your position that your child needs speech therapy. Remember to be assertively persistent! Also, use testing to prove that your child is below age and grade equivalents to justify related services.
Tip 5: Consider getting an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE), for your child with a qualified person. In the above example, you could take your child to a qualified Speech and Language Pathologist, and have the child tested. Make sure they are willing to write a detailed report to include recommendations.
Tip 6: Send the independent evaluation report to school personnel, and ask for an IEP meeting to discuss the evaluator’srecommendations. If possible, have the evaluator participate by telephone.
This article has given you six parenting tips that you can use to
successfully overcome disability educator’s deceptions. You have the right to hold special educational personnel accountable for giving false information. Good luck in your advocacy journey!
JoAnn Collins is the parent of two adults with disabilities, has been an educational advocate for over 15, an author, as well as a speaker. JoAnn teaches parents advocacy skills to overcome disability educators deceptions, and help their child receive an appropriate education. The recently released book: Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parnets Can Beat Them at Their Own Game helps parents develop skills to be an assertive and persisten advocate for their child. To get a free copy of the Newsletter entitled "The Special Education Advocate" send an E mail to JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com. Check out her Web site at www.disabilitydeception.com.