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Arizona Center For Disability Law Offers Special Education 'Coaching Session'

By Mariana Dale
Published: Wednesday, August 7, 2019 - 10:15am
Updated: Wednesday, August 7, 2019 - 10:29am

Amanda Glass
Mariana Dale/KJZZ
“It’s very complex for parents to understand what their rights are,” said Amanda Glass, an attorney at the Arizona Center for Disability Law.

Federal law gives children with disabilities rights to specialized education plans at public schools.

More than 140,000 children in Arizona receive services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, according to 2017-2018 figures from the National Center For Education Statistics.

“It’s very complex for parents to understand what their rights are,” said Amanda Glass, an attorney at the Arizona Center for Disability Law. “There are so many acronyms involved in special education and then even beyond that schools and teachers are required to understand so much about school finance, resources that are available to them.” 

This year for the first time the Arizona Center For Disability Law will offer coaching sessions to parents of children with disabilities as they start the school year.

The center will schedule the phone sessions with senior advocates and attorneys, including Glass, through the month of August. People interested should call the center (602-274-6287) on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

“Part of these coaching sessions, the idea is that we will help arm parents with knowledge about what their rights are,” Glass said. 

The coaching sessions fall in between two levels of service the center already offers — pre-prepared resources such written guides on specific topics and legal representation. 

For example, Glass said this could help parents prepare for annual meetings with the school about their child’s individualized education program. 

Education