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When It's Not Apparent: Some Modest Advice To Parent Advocates For Students With Disabilities, Stephen A. Rosenbaum

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In this article, I explore ways in which parents of children with disabilities can more effectively participate in educational decisionmaking and oversight. I begin by describing the federal special education statute, the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), as a set of procedural safeguards that are intended to result in meaningful educational benefit. IDEA's cornerstone is the individualized education program (IEP) for each child. The IEP, negotiated between school authorities and the child's family, is often an arduous and stressful process.

I first note the limitations of using litigation against local school districts as a tool to achieve aggregate or …