Advocating for school-aged kids with disabilities
by Beth
A few weeks ago I met with another woman who is blind to have her tutor me on using my talking iPhone. I’m starting to get the hang of it now and even getting interested in all the apps available … well … at my fingertips!
Example: I just heard about a new iPhone app for parents with school-aged children who have autism or other disabilities. iAdvocate was developed by Syracuse University School of Education and is available free at the iTunes store. The app links parents to laws, websites, videos, organizations, books and articles about inclusive education.
iAdvocate also connects to the Syracuse University Parent Advocacy Center (SUPAC) website:
SUPAC provides parents of children with disabilities with information, resources, and strategies to:
- promote their meaningful involvement in their children’s education, including information regarding the special education process;
- assist in understanding their children’s disabilities;
- promote early resolution of disputes between parents and school districts;
- promote the use of resolution sessions and special education mediation;
- assist in understanding procedural due process rights; and
- enhance parents’ skills and levels of confidence to communicate effectively and work collaboratively with schools and other stakeholders to advocate and actively participate in their children’s education.
One way SUPAC provides this service is by maintaining its website, newsletter, and Listserv for parents. So hey, even if I never do figure out this talking iPhone thing I can still use my laptop to go to the SUPAC site to exchange ideas and information — think I’ll give that a try right now!