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| info@massagbell.org |
| P.O. Box 53 |
| Sharon, MA, 02067 |
| Special Education Services | |
| Good special education services can be intensive and expensive. School District resources are limited. If you have a child with special needs, you may wind up battling the school district for the services your child needs. To prevail, you need information, skills, and tools. You need to become an effective advocate for your child! | |
| Parents are natural advocates for their children. You know your child better than anyone else. The school is involved with your child for a few years. You are involved with your child for life. You need to play an active role in planning your child’s education. | |
| Advocates vs. Educational Consultants | |
| Both advocates and education consultants guide parents though the process special education process. They are paid to come to TEAM meetings with you and advise you on your child's situation. They have a variety of college degrees, background and experiences. Often the advocate or ed consultant will consult or join forces with a SPED lawyer if the situation calls for it. | |
| Advocates are usually parents of special needs children. They have been trained by the Federation for Children or other SPED organizations in children rights. | |
| Education Consultantare usually education professionals and have a degree in education. Some are parents of special needs children. Most are trained to do educational testing of your child and may also be trained by the Federation for Children or other SPED organizations in children rights. | |
| AG Bell Advocacy Resources | |
| AG Bell - Children's Legal Advocacy Program (CLA) | |
| AG Bell's Children's Legal Advocacy (CLA) Program provides legal representation and technical assistance to families of children who are deaf and hard of hearing seeking early intervention services and appropriate educational placements. Launched in 2001, the CLA Program focuses on preserving the rights of children with hearing loss who use oral communication and auditory learning in their educational environment. Precedence is given where access to oral education is denied and where information on oral options was not provided. The CLA program takes cases which have the potential to create meaningful legal precedence. | |
| AG Bell - Parent Advocacy Training (PAT) | |
| AG Bell's Parent Advocacy Training (PAT) provides information and resources for advocating for children through negotiation skills and a foundation in legal information. Through PAT, parents learn from the successes and failures of other parents as they all learn to achieve better services for their children with hearing loss.. | |
| Laws | |
| AG Bell - FAQ on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) | |
| AG Bell provides a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the main legislation regulating the education of children with disabilities. This document is large. It requires an Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded for free here. | |
| Federal and Massachusetts Special Education Law | |
| There are two bodies of Regulations/Rules which parents need to be aware of. One is the Massachusetts State Regulations and the other is the Federal Regulations. We recommend you read and familiarize yourself with both documents. They are relatively easy to read, you will educate yourself about your child's rights, and you will not have to just take the word of the special educators about your rights. Concord Sped PAC has an extensive page that is easy to use. | |
| Federation for Children with Special Needs
1135 Tremont Street, Suite 420 Boston, Massachusetts 02120 617-236-7210 Voice/TDD 800-331-0688 (Mass Toll Free) | |
| The Federation is a center for parents and parent organizations to work together on behalf of children with special needs and their families. We can help! Organized in 1975 as a coalition of parent groups representing children with a variety of disabilities, the Federation operates a Parent Center in Massachusetts which offers a variety of services to parents, parent groups, and others who are concerned with children with special needs, including advice and advocacy. | |
| Wright's Law - Special Ed Advocacy | |
| Good special education services are individualized, intensive and expensive. Schools often balk at providing intensive services. What can you do? You can use tactics and strategies to anticipate problems, manage conflict, and avoid crises. If you have a dispute with the school, tactics and strategy will help you control the outcome. This page has links to dozens of articles, free books and newsletters and other resources. | |
| The Listen-Up Web Site - Your Rights | |
| Listen-Up is a wonderful resource for information on all aspects of raising deaf and hard of hearing children. This page provides information on Advocating, IEPs, Legal Resources, Regulations, Rulings and Guidance, and much, much more. | |
| Mass Chapter AG Bell contact regarding advocacy issues: | |
| Terri Charles, Advocating for Children | |
| PO Box 362
Natick, MA 01760 508-545-1736 advocacy@massagbell.org |