The role of a special education advocate is very specific, even if it incorporates a variety of different skills. Every IEP is different and advocates will not take the same approach for any two IEPs. There are so many ways in which a student’s access to their education can be impacted by a poorly written and/or administered IEP.
Most IEPs are not written in a way that maximizes a child’s access to a free, appropriate, public education. Many IEPs are not thorough, precise, or may be out of compliance with federal law. These IEPs are non-specific with goals that are low, but achievable. This gives the appearance that a student is making progress each year, but the unfortunate reality is: many students fall further and further behind their neurotypical classmates. The role of a special education advocate is to read an IEP like a script for a book and identify where the weaknesses are and where changes need to be made.
Most parents are shocked; school districts can engage in deceptive practices that go one of two ways: “Your child is not capable of performing this goal” or, “Your child is doing just fine,” whatever that means. Regardless of what the school district may say, a student will not reach their full potential if their IEP contains low expectations and weak services, placements, and goals. The role of a special education advocate is to help develop a strong IEP document with realistic, but aggressive goals.
Other roles for a special education advocate.
Another role of a special education advocate is to help families wade through the emotional aspects of special education. Advocates must be able to guide families through the maze of federal guidelines that direct the entire process and outcome. An advocate must be able to understand the bigger picture of a student’s education and identify the missing pieces that complete the IEP. Remember, completed IEPs reflect a student’s needs and acknowledge the potential of the person.
Having an advocate can offer a tremendous amount of guidance, support, and expertise to an otherwise overwhelming and confusing process. As highly experienced advocates and the parents of disabled children ourselves, we intimately understand the challenges of navigating the entire special education process and the difficulties that arise.
Because we are parents, we understand. Because we are trained advocates, we can help.