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Resources for Parents of Special Education Students
Date: July 30, 2004
Prepared by: Resource Advocacy Team, revised by Brandon Popovac
The following resources are intended to provide parents with information about special education, issues related to disability, assistive technology, and legal means to solve problems in those areas.
The Office of Special Education provides current information on a variety of issues relating to special education, including the federal and state laws that pertain to special education issues. Parents can submit a Acitizen=s complaint@ to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) if they are concerned that a school district has violated special education laws. They also provide an extensive links to other resources on their website.
Sound Options Mediation P.O. Box 11457 Bainbridge Island, Washington 98110-5457 V: 1-800-692-2540 TTY: 1-800-833-6388 Fax: (206)780-5776
Mediation is an optional alternative to a due process hearing and OSPI has contracted with Sound Options to act as mediator throughout the state. Mediation is voluntary for both parties, confidential, informal, of no cost to each party, and less time consuming than due process. You can contact Sound Options for information on how mediation works to see if this option could work for you. If you decide to request mediation, contact The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, (OSPI) at (360)753-6733.
Office of Special Education Programs U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave. S.W. Washington, DC 20202-7100 TDD: (202) 245-7531 Email: CustomerService@inet.ed.gov Website: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/the_law.html
The Office of Special Education Programs provides information concerning the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They also provide information about appealing special education matters to Federal court when parents are not satisfied with state level decisions.
Special Education Director for Your School
District
To find the phone number of the Special Education Director in your school
district, look in the Government Information Pages of the phone book under
ASchools@.
Look for the number for the administrative office for your particular school
district.
U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Western Division, Seattle Office Henry M. Jackson Federal Building 915 Second Avenue, Room 3310, 10-9010 Seattle, WA 98174-1099 V: (206) 220-7880 Fax: (206) 220-7887 TDD: (206) 220-7907
The Office of Civil Rights falls under the federal Department of Education. Their mission is to make sure there is equal access to quality education for all students by enforcing federal statutes that prohibit discrimination in public education. Anyone who believes that a public educational institution has discriminated against someone on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age may file a complaint with the office.
Washington PAVE (Parents Are Vital in Education) 6316 South 12th Street Tacoma, Washington 98465 V/TTY: 1-800-572-7368 or (253) 565-2266 Spanish Speaking Families: (509) 837-8440 Fax: (253) 566-8052 E-Mail: wapave9@washingtonpave.com Website: www.washingtonpave.org
PAVE provides information and support to families on a variety of issues including: special education, Individualized Education Program (IEP), and transition from high school. They assist parents in advocating for their children=s education through newsletters, workshops, and one on one support.
The Arc of Washington State Office: (360) 357-5596 Family/Educator Partnership Project toll free number: 1-888-754-8798
The ARC=s Family/Educator Partnership Project provides referrals, literature, publications from OSPI, and works with schools and parents in a team setting to teach both parties how to work together. They have a new AGuide to Special Education@ and are available to do trainings at PTA meetings and parent groups.
Learning Disabilities Association of Washington 7819 159th PL NE
Redmond, WA 98052 V: (425) 882-0820 Fax: (425) 861-4642 Website: http://www.ldawa.org/
The Learning Disabilities Association of Washington is located in Redmond, Washington. They provide information and referrals concerning learning disabilities.
DO-IT at the University of Washington (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) 4545 15th Avenue NE University of Washington, Box 355670 Seattle, Washington 98195-5670 V/TTY: (206) 685-DOIT Fax: (206) 221-4171 E-mail: doit@u.washington.edu Website: http://www.washington.edu/doit
DO-IT is a national award winning program that mentors youth with disabilities as they pursue academics and careers. The program promotes the use of technology to maximize the independence, productivity and participation of people with disabilities. They provide an extensive list of disability-related resources on their web page.
Washington Assistive Technology Alliance (WATA) Eastern Assistive Technology Resource Center West 606 Sharp Spokane, Washington 99201 V/TTY: (509) 328-9350 or 1-800-214-8731 Fax: (509) 326-2261 E-mail: Spokane@seals.org Website: www.wata.org
The Eastern Assistive Technology Resource Center is associated with Easter Seal Society of Washington and provides information and referral, vendor information, and sample justification letters and other publications. They also focus on issues with Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Special Education, Private Insurance, and Medical Assistance Services.
Wrightslaw - http://www.wrightslaw.com/
This website provides up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities. The site also provides links to multiple special education resources as well as information about upcoming special education trainings and conferences. Site visitors can subscribe to a free newsletter.
Reed Martin, J.D. Special Education Law & Advocacy Strategies E-mail: connie@reedmartin.com Website: http://www.reedmartin.com/
Reed Martin provides information and strategies to secure rights of children with disabilities. The website provides links to various special education articles and resources as well as information about upcoming workshops. Reed Martin also administers a special education chat room.
I.E.P Pop-Up – Hurdle Talk: How to Respond to Hurdle-Setting Responses National Center on Low-Income Disabilities Website: http://www.nclid.unco.edu/HVoriginals/Advocacy/Popup/popup.html
The website displays sixteen potential phrases and attitudes that school officials may express to make an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting unsuccessful. Each phrase, when clicked, will display the common problem associated with the IEP attitude, the recommended response(s), and relevant law that supports your response thereby creating an empowered form of advocacy for your child.
LEGAL SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH LOW INCOMES
There are several organizations that provide free civil legal services in the area of special education to people with low-incomes. They include the following:
Northwest Justice Project (NWJP) 401 Second Avenue South, Suite 407 Seattle, Washington 98104 V: (206) 464-1519 New Client Intake Line: 1-888-201-1014 TTY: 1-888-201-9737 Fax: (206) 624-7501 E-mail: kn6351@handsnet.org Website: www.nwjustice.orgNorthwest Justice Project offers many helpful materials and resources about special education, including forms, on their website. Some of their materials are available in Spanish.
King County Bar Association=s Lawyer Referral Service V: (206)623-2551
This program refers low income persons to volunteer attorneys. Clients are screened for financial eligibility, merit and program priorities.
Columbia Legal Services V: (800)342-3872
Neighborhood Legal Clinic - King County Residents Only V: (206)340-2593
PRIVATE ATTORNEYS WHO HAVE EXPERTISE IN SPECIAL ED MATTERS
Joanne Comins Rick Halstead & Comins Rick, P.S. P.O. Box 571 1221 Meade Ave. Prosser, WA 99350 V: (509) 786-2200William Dussault (Western Washington, primarily) 219 East Galer Street Seattle, Washington 98102 V: (206)324-4300 Fax: (206)324-1140
Ken Isserlis Lee, Michaud, and Isserlis, P.S. 201 West North River Drive, Suite 340 Spokane, Washington 99201 V: (509)326-1800 Fax: (509)326-2128
Larry Jones (Western Washington, primarily) 2118 8th Ave. Seattle, WA 98121 V: (206)405-3240 Fax: (206)405-3243 E-Mail: lawjones@oz.net
Andrew Kidde 720 3rd Ave. #2100 Seattle, WA 98104 V: (206)625-1865 Fax: (206)587-0568
Mary McKnew 7840 Warbler Court SE Olympia, Washington 98513 V: (360)459-0554 E-mail: mmcknew@home.com
Karen L. Mitterer 9721 112th Ave NE Kirkland, WA 98033 V: (206) 669-6167
Trudy Oelrich Oelrich Law Offices 14706 Union Ave. Lakewood, WA 98498 V: (253) 582-6109
Howard Powers (Throughout Washington, but mostly Longview and Bellingham) 1948 25th Avenue E. Seattle, Washington 98112 V: (206)324-6287 Fax: (206)720-4722
Julie Schisel (Western Washington, primarily) Law Offices of Linn and Schisel 245 SW 152nd Avenue Seattle, Washington 98166 V/TTY: (206)242-9876 Fax: (206)431-5713
Christine Thompson Ibrahim 2118 8th Ave. Seattle, WA 98121 V: (206)405-3240 Fax: (206)405-3243 E-mail: Cthom@oz.net
This publication is an information service of the Washington Protection & Advocacy System (WPAS). It provides general information only and should not be used as legal advice for any specific situation. If you would like more information about this topic, call us and ask for a Resource Advocate.
To receive this publication in an alternative format, such as large print or Braille, please call Washington Protection & Advocacy System (WPAS) at 1-800-562-2702.
WPAS is a member of the National Disability Rights
Network
A substantial portion
of the WPAS budget is federally funded.
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