An Explanation of Related Services under the IDEA

Resource of the Week: OSEP's IDEA Website

The US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs has created a website intended to be a "one-stop shop" for information and resources about IDEA 2004 and its implementing regulations. The website includes information about IDEA divided into specific topics, as well as access to the statute and the regulations. It is also a great tool for finding the IDEA "Q&A" documents released by the Department of Education in regards to the changes and language in the regulations.

OSEP's IDEA 2004 Website can be found at http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home

Resource of the Week: The Advocacy Institute

The resource we've selected for this week's post really counts as a multitude of resources all rolled into one site. The Advocacy Institute is a comprehensive source of information for parents and advocates in the special education community, providing training opportunities, online publications and written resources, and consultative assistance for advocates and families. Their website can be found at http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/

Specifically, here are a couple of their online resources that are available:

The Advocate Academy provides training opportunities for special education advocates. The Academy's trainings are offered in a webinar modality on various specific topics, and advocates wishing to participate can either access live webinars or purchase previous webinars from their archives.

The Advocacy Institute's Reports and Publications include online articles and resources on a variety of topics of interest to the special education community including topic briefs, reports on special projects, and guides for parents and advocates regarding their rights.

Resource of the Week: COPAA's "Find an Attorney / Advocate"

The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates is a national organization with members who are parents of students with special needs, Advocates and Attorneys who represent students with disabilities, and "other" providers, etc who advocate for students. In addition to many other resources and information available on their website, COPAA has an online directory to assist parents (both within COPAA's membership and members of the public) with finding and Attorney or Advocate in their area.

Often, Parents need to seek the assistance of a special education attorney or educational advocate to represent them in IEP meetings or in legal disputes with their school district. An advocate or special education attorney can help parents through the process and provide representation when there is a dispute over placement and/or services.

COPAA's online directory is a great tool to assist parents with locating representation when they need it. You can go to the Find an Attorney / Advocate directory at this link: http://www.copaa.org/find-a-resource/find-an-attorney/

Resource of the Week: Wrightslaw

Wrightslaw is a well-known online source of information about special education law and advocacy, and is considered by many to be the first "go-to" place for parents and advocates to locate information about a variety of important topics.

Wrightslaw.com is a very extensive resource. The website includes articles and briefs on an significant number of topics, updates on current events and news, a newsletter, and an online "law library." In addition, you can find information about Wrightslaw's various publications and other materials, including books and DVDs.

Check it all out at www.wrightslaw.com.

COPAA Webinar on Section 504

On Tuesday, November 15th, Mandy and I will be giving a live presentation as part of COPAA's current webinar series. Our presentation is entitled Expanding Your Arsenal with Section 504 and we will be covering a variety of issues that arise under Section 504, with a focus on practical application of advocacy strategies. We are very excited to be a part of COPAA's training endeavors through this webinar!

Here are the details:

What: Expanding Your Advocacy Arsenal with Section 504; Webinar Presentation by Carolina Watts and Mandy Favaloro

When: November 15th at 2:00pm Eastern/ 11:00am Pacific

How to register: Go to www.copaa.org/conference-training/webinars to sign up for the live webinar. COPAA members get a discounted rate for registration. At a later date, COPAA also makes prior presentations available for purchases through webinar archives.