EDUCATIONAL ADVOCACY

Our educational advocates assist families in guiding and supporting them through the special education process as a bridge between educational staff and families. The Arc Community Advocates educates on the proper processes to avoid breakdowns in communication to ensure that the child’s needs are met by means of meetings, referrals, recommendations, resources, and materials. Our Advocates listen to concerns from families and schools, create agendas for meetings, facilitate discussion between school staff and families, promote positive problem solving, bring best practices to the table, and aim to assist families and schools in keeping open communication that puts the student’s need at the center of every conversation.

The Arc Community Advocaters works with families and school systems to ensure students receive the supports and services they need. We connect students and families with informational resources and training for understanding their rights, procedural safeguards and dispute resolution options. 

Areas of Educational Advocacy include Individualized Education Plan (IEP), 504 Plan, positive behavior support plans.

Michigan Alliance For Families: Michigan Alliance for Families  is a statewide resource to connect families of children with disabilities to resources to help improve their children’s education.  

Wrightslaw: Wrightslaw special education law and advocacy programs are designed to meet the needs of parents, advocates, educators, attorneys, and health care providers who represent children with disabilities.

Disability Rights Michigan - Empowering all to uphold the rights of people with disabilities.

START: Statewide Autism Resources & Training. START works with schools, community partners, and families to support students with ASD to become active, engaged members of their schools and local communities, and successfully move into adulthood as independent individuals with many choices and opportunities.