Ok, where to start…If you are looking for an educational advocate that means you are where I was 6 years ago (or at an even lower point) – which is basically rock bottom. You are scared, frustrated, angry, sad and at a COMPLETE loss at what to do to help your child. Do me a favor and hire Leigh. When I say she has been LIFE CHANGING for my 2 children and myself, I mean that. She was solely responsible for getting my 11 year old into the NPS school that he desperately needed and was the perfect fit for. She has been by my side through the lowest of lows and highest of high and celebrates those highs right alongside me. She fights for what is best for my children (not what is best for the district). She is a true subject matter expert on special education and you will never look back once you have Leigh on your team, fighting for you and your child. I mean it when I say she is seriously the best and I am so incredibly thankful for her and her services. At the end of the day, if your child needs an IEP, essentially you are riding a scary, bumpy rollercoaster but with Leigh by your side, it becomes much less bumpy and scary.
K. S., Santa Clara County
Taylor at Aspire has been a life saver for our mental health. Having someone who knows your child’s rights and is experienced with the inner workings of the special education system has been invaluable. She is kind but firm with the IEP teams, and always makes sure to hit all the points/concerns that need to be made in the meetings.
A parent should not do this alone with all the stressors of having a special needs child. In past IEP meetings I would get flustered, emotional, angry, and feel like I was being taken advantage of, and that I had let my daughter down. Not any more with Taylor/Aspire there. My only regret is not contacting Taylor sooner.P. S., Placer County
I could not be more grateful or pleased with the work Leigh provides in advocating for my son in his IEP meetings. Things went sideways this year with a change in staffing at his public school and there were so many issues it felt insurmountable. No one at the school listened to me anymore, and things were a bit contentious and gridlocked when I finally called in Leigh, who came highly recommended from another sped mom. Best decision ever.
When we initially hired her, she reviewed my student’s previous IEP test scores and was able to offer insight and feedback that the school had never taken the time to share in depth. Reading the raw test scores and curved percentages is its own language. I feel well informed now and this part alone made me regret not hiring an advocate sooner as I realized the advantages of having someone on “my side” of the table interpret the data for me and ask clarifying questions.
Leigh is professional, congenial, and compassionate while also being direct and to the point. From the minute she became involved the whole IEP process shifted. She is also not afraid to put pressure on the school and ask uncomfortable questions. She assisted me in writing statements, questions, strategizing, and refusing components of our latest IEP. She is very knowledgeable in how IEPs work and what are reasonable expectations. I had so many questions and she could answer every one of them.
I have been recommending her to every parent and professional I know. Thanks to her advocating and mediating in the IEP process the two issues that had left us at an impasse were resolved quickly and in our student’s best interest. Our son’s education needed to change to meet his needs, and keep him in the least restrictive environment. Leigh knew exactly how to speak the school’s language and keep the ball moving. It would not be an overstatement to say I sleep better at night ever since I hired her to advocate on our behalf.
Leigh is a gift to families with IEP students. What she provides our students is invaluable.
L. C., Santa Cruz County
I have never had written any review in my life. I couldn’t help myself write a review about Taylor today. I found that Taylor is an excellent advocate from Aspire Advocacy. I got referred from my friend. I was really skeptical about using the advocate; I always have the confidence that I can handle the IEP myself without any help. Recently one my kids transition to high school and other transition to middle school. I have never run into problem before but this year is the rollercoaster for me, and I’m glad I had Taylor on both of my kids’ IEP. The people from the school tried to tell me that my kids were doing great and one of them was in the honor rolls. However, Taylor helped me to understand that my kid were in 7th grade but his grade level from the assessment was in 3-4th grade level. The school tried to remove the services away from my kids when they are really needed the services to success in school. She even speak for me during in the meeting. She’s really my backbone during the meeting. She always discussed with me and come up with the plan before the IEP meeting. I promise you that you will always have the positive outcomes with your kids’ education.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart Taylor. I really don’t know what to do without you.
Q. N., Santa Clara County
Leigh is an exceptional IEP advocate and quite frankly inspirational and ethical human being. Her vast knowledge and special education expertise are only rivaled by her compassion & perspective in what is truly best for your child. We had a complex situation wrapped around a red tape issue. Leigh asked relevant and appropriate questions, gave me examples from her own experience and opened my eyes to another possible solution. She also gave me unsolicited permission to do what was right for my family and myself as a whole, not just my child. No one has ever considered all of us before. Yep, that’s it. If speed dial was still a thing, Leigh would be number 1! Highly recommend (and am truly grateful for professionals like her!).
Thank you Leigh for the impact you have made on my family and countless others!
K. Y., Santa Clara County
Working with Taylor and Aspire Advocacy has given our family not only some space to breathe while in the thick of the IEP process, it’s empowered me to feel like I can impact my child’s learning environment and opportunities in ways that I couldn’t if simultaneously trying to manage all the procedures. Years before this, I attempted the process on my own and realized I was in way over my head and no one was going to throw me – or my kid – a line in that adversarial and disheartening experience. Coming to Aspire Advocacy was the only option that made any sense to support my child’s complex dynamics and make sure that we were doing everything possible. Taylor has made the whole experience actually enjoyable and genuinely enlightening. Seeing her work with a grace under fire, with calm and clarity, has built my own confidence and understanding of a process that’s otherwise incredibly daunting. She has led our team in a strong direction with a compassionate approach, and I can’t imagine we would have been anywhere near as successful without her there by our side.
A. M., Santa Cruz County
Leigh is an exceptional IEP advocate and quite frankly inspirational and ethical human being. Her vast knowledge and special education expertise are only rivaled by her compassion & perspective in what is truly best for your child. We had a complex situation wrapped around a red tape issue. Leigh asked relevant and appropriate questions, gave me examples from her own experience and opened my eyes to another possible solution. She also gave me unsolicited permission to do what was right for my family and myself as a whole, not just my child. No one has ever considered all of us before. Yep, that’s it. If speed dial was still a thing, Leigh would be number 1! Highly recommend (and am truly grateful for professionals like her!).
Thank you, Leigh for the impact you have made on my family and countless others!
Kim Y., Parent, San Jose
After years of stressful IEPs, we hired Leigh to help us get our children the placement we felt they needed. Not only was Leigh successful, but she reduced our stress, making life a lot more enjoyable. We now let Leigh handle any issues that come up with the school. Life is good again!
D.W., Parent, Sunnyvale
I’ve reviewed Aspire Advocacy before. Three years ago I hired them to help with my son’s IEP. They got it straightened out and got the school providing the services that my son needed. Now my son is in another school and all over again I go to the IEP and they start telling me what they can and can’t do. I’m overwhelmed. So I call in Aspire Advocacy and Leigh went to the next meeting with me. She helped by knowing what my son’s rights are and what the school’s obligations were. She helped get my son into the classes that he needs to be in with the help that he needs to succeed. I can’t say enough how much I’m glad that I hired them!
A.G., Parent, San Jose
Our son has an an IEP since he was 3. We asked for additional assessments, and our district refused. We then realized we needed to learn more about the process so that we could get him the appropriate services.
My wife and I called Aspire Advocacy, and spoke with Susie and Leigh. These two clearly know special education! Besides having an encyclopedic knowledge, their kindness and compassion came through immediately. When we first met, Leigh gave us a lot of inside information on the IEP process. We reviewed our son’s file, and made an IEP plan together. She incorporated all of our thoughts, suggestions, and made suggestions in areas we had not considered.
There was never any pressure to hire her; only a lot of information.
We hired Aspire, and Leigh attended 2 IEP meetings with us. What a huge relief! Having someone who can their language made such a big different in the IEP meeting. She has a collaborative style we appreciate. It helped maintain good working relationships with our school district while still getting our son everything he needed.
We are delighted with the results, and will ask Leigh to attend all our future IEP meetings.
S.L., Parent, San Jose
Having worked as an Special Education Advocate, I have observed many advocacy cases that were resolved with the assistance of the staff of Aspire Advocacy, LLC. The staff is thorough and effective in working to resolve special education conflicts. Since the staff members of Aspire Advocacy are parents of students who have received special education services, they offer services in a compassionate and effective manner.
Mary M., Milpitas
Leigh at Aspire Advocacy is a consummate professional. Not only is she an expert in the field of special education services; she also has invaluable personal experience, which comes from raising her own son with a disability. As a parent, it is overwhelming to advocate for your child in a school setting by yourself. When I went to Leigh seeking assistance for getting much needed services for my child, she stepped right into the situation. Leigh has a positive viewpoint and an incredible work ethic. I first met with Leigh a week before my child’s IEP and was impressed with her care and concern over my situation. She truly listened to my concerns and wanted to understand my goals for my child’s education. Leigh spent two days reading over the documentation I provided for her and when we spoke again, she had a clear agenda and a plan of action to achieve the goals we had outlined. During the meeting, Leigh was professional, polite and an excellent facilitator. She dealt with the staff with courtesy and respect while clearly maintaining our shared focus for my child. By the end of the meeting, the staff that had told me it would be impossible to achieve my desired goals was on board with the plan that I had worked on with Leigh. Leigh is quite simply AMAZING and I would recommend Aspire Advocacy to any parent in need of an advocate for an IEP meeting.
Stacy C., Parent, Cupertino
I cannot begin to express how much gratitude I have for Leigh and Susie of Aspire Advocacy. Having them at my son’s IEP meeting was like going into battle with sword- wielding Angels. I was faced with a district that appeared to want the best for my son but attempted to thwart my efforts to make informed decisions every step of the way, and attempted to withhold appropriate services from my son.
From the get go Leigh and Susie combed through my documents and identified critical mistakes and formulated a plan to clean up the legal document that would implications for the rest of my sons educational experience. While both were very professional, Susie brought bull dogged toughness to the table and Leigh tempered that with her smooth and calm demeanor. The two gave me a voice that was informed and persuasive while keeping an amicable atmosphere for the whole team. This was important for me as I would be working with the district for as long as my son is enrolled.
Even when we thought all was said and signed, Leigh and Susie stayed on guard and examined the signed documents only to find more discrepancies and took immediate action to have the district correct them. I can rest at night knowing my son will be receiving service appropriate for his needs. And it felt good to work with a team who understood what it was like to be a mother fighting to get what her child needs, as they also personally went through the trials of IEPs with their own children.
Leigh and Susie aren’t about the money; they could have charged me far more for all the extra time and energy they spent. They do what they do because they want to fight for what is right. Without hesitation and with much regard, I would highly recommend Aspire Advocacy to every parent facing a difficult IEP process.
J.S., Parent, San Jose
I reached out to Aspire Advocacy when I realized I couldn’t secure IEP services for my child on my own. Aspire has helped my family in so many ways – not only are they helping me advocate for my child but they are helping us keep our focus on the important issues and not get bogged down with every detail, by reminding me, “this is not a sprint, it is a marathon”. Leigh has been through this whole process with her own son so she completely understands how families can get very beat down . She is very supportive and responsive to our needs. Phone calls and emails were always returned within 24 hours.
Aspire knows how to approach each situation so that your child receives what they need to be successful ). In her dealings with the school districts, Leigh is very professional and respectful, never adversarial. I have made a lot of mistakes in the past because I did not have an advocate. Before Aspire was on my child’s team, I was so nervous before IEP meetings that I would get sick. During the meeting I had no confidence. Now that Aspire is in our corner, I do not dread these meetings anymore and I have the confidence to speak up for my child.
I recommend aspire Advocacy to anyone who has a child in the special education system. I wish I had called them much sooner!
S.D., Parent, Santa Clara