Virginia Special Needs Advocacy Services
Legal consultation and assistance can be expensive, sometimes as much as $250 or more an hour. Not all parents can afford such fees-yet all parents want to ensure their child’s educational needs are met.
The Chatfield Advocacy Group provides non-attorney representation on a sliding fee basis, as well as free technical assistance consultation on your child’s educational program. So all parents-no matter what their child’s disability -have access to the resources and services they need.
We can help you with:
- Assessment and Records Review
- Classroom program and placement concerns
- The Individual Education Program (IEP) and 504 process
- Represents the best interests of the student in the educational process.
- Empowers and educates families (parents and students) to strengthen their own advocacy skills.
- Accompanies you to IEPs, IFSPs, SSTs, or 504 meetings to provide advice and assistance.
- Help you write effective letters to your school district.
- Help you obtain a copy of your child's educational records.
- Help interpret the meaning of assessments and reports to parents, and explain their significance to the child's educational needs.
- Review all special education documents, including files, assessments, report cards, and observation reports.
- Help you to organize those records.
- Help to ensure that your child's IEP is well written; that it has accurate “present levels of functioning and performance” and measurable goals, with the appropriate services and support meeting those goals.
- Review IEP, 504 or other documents before you sign them.
- Assist you in filing compliance complaints.
- Help make sure your school district is providing the services and support to which your child is entitled by Law.
- Help you find an experienced and qualified independent assessor and obtain an independent educational evaluation
- Help you find tutors, reading specialists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, or other specialists that your child might need.
- Draft letters, responses, complaints and written requests to school and district officials.
Our services are available to you through our network of legal and educational specialists. And because we work cooperatively with parents, public educational agencies and the community, we are often able to resolve problems-before they become more complex.