To schedule an appointment, go to Special Education Clinic Registration
Interpreter Services Available
The purpose of the clinic is to provide a 30-minute consultation (for those who qualify) with a special education attorney.
The clinic offers free, limited legal advice and referrals for special education issues. The clinic is not meant to be a comprehensive consultation, if you need a more in-depth meeting, please contact WAA for a full intake screening.
Special Education issues related to your student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) and/or 504 Plan including but not limited to:
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that entitles children to special education services if disability significantly impacts access to education and a specially designed program is needed.
Key concepts are from the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, passed in 1975. The United States celebrated 45 years of special education law Nov. 29, 2020. In recognition, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) offers an historical infographic: OSEP Fast Facts: IDEA 45th Anniversary.
Video number 1: Pyramid of Rights Protections for Students With Disabilities
Video number 2: Accommodations and Modifications
Video number 3: IEP Goal Setting
Request IEP Meeting
Families can request an IEP meeting to discuss the program any time there are concerns. PAVE provides an article, which suggests a format for making the request and includes information about meeting requirements: Sample Letter to Request an IEP Meeting.
A student with a disability has the right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). General education is the LRE.
Services are generally portable, and special education is delivered to the student to enable access to FAPE within the LRE to the maximum extent appropriate.
Federal law protects a student’s right to FAPE within the LRE in light of a child’s circumstances, not for convenience of resource allocation.
No student rights are waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Association of State Directors of Special Education provides a brief about LRE during the pandemic. The NASDSE brief includes examples of what LRE might look like for students doing distance learning or in a hybrid model of learning.
