Special Education Attorneys | California IEP

◇ As parents, when we are first told that our child has a disability which is impacting their behavior at school, it is easy for us to blame ourselves. Even if we are already aware of our child’s disability status, we can feel a sense of shame, stigma, and tell ourselves that we could have, should have done better. How can we be sure we didn’t do something wrong that caused our child’s disability?

◇ At Unity Law Group, parents who have felt this way have a name: our clients. We know those feelings all too well. We remember the first time we heard that term “IEP”, and the first time our child’s name was mentioned in the same sentence as the term “special education”. We remember how confused, scared, and angry we could feel when we imagined a future where our child was defined by their disability, not their excellence, humor, kindness, or success.

◇ This firm’s goal is to put an end to this stigma by recognizing one simple truth: An IEP is a good thing for our disabled child. It is no different than enrollment in a gifted and talented education program, no different than our child finding excellence at a sport or extracurricular activity. 

◇ When done properly, the IEP process in California can be even better than those comparable frameworks, because the point of the Individualized Education Plan is to put the parents of the disabled student in the driver’s seat of that student’s educational goals.  An IEP has one simple meaning for California’s disabled children: progress. IEPs are how our children gain access to the help, accommodations, and services to which they are entitled by law. Those resources can change everything about a disabled child’s school experience. They can mean the difference between your child dreading going to school and looking forward to it.

◇ The problem with the IEP system is that many people are unsure of what an IEP really is, including some parents of children with disabilities in California. The rights of parents engaging with the school to prepare an IEP are also poorly communicated. The process of getting a student on an IEP can be confusing, overwhelming, intimidating, frustrating, and rushed to most parents. School administrators can try to “rubber-stamp” the child’s plan during the IEP meetings with an IEP team, in order to just move forward without the parents’ genuine input. This is where Unity Law Group makes its impact.

◇ We believe that our clients should have the help, support, and advocacy they need to navigate the process of establishing an IEP, renewing an IEP, or undergoing the tri-annual meeting to reevaluate critical aspects of their child’s plan. IEPs are not a bad thing. Not a black mark, not a scarlet letter. These education plans are written in the law to be intentionally parent-centered, and the meetings should be parent-directed. Parents should feel empowered after the IEP meeting, and secure in the knowledge that their disabled student is going to receive all the available benefits to which they are entitled. 

◇ The legal team at Unity Law Group represents parents of special needs students through advocacy during the IEP process, as well as concurrent issues that may arise in all areas of special education law. Families in California rely on Unity Law Group to fight for and protect the legal rights of their special needs children. We work tirelessly to preserve students’ rights to a free and appropriate education.

◇ If you have an upcoming IEP meeting, and you want to receive counseling, support, and advocacy from the special education lawyers at Unity Law Group, contact us for a free consultation today. If you believe your student is eligible for special education and does not receive the right services or accommodations through neglect or denial of services, we can help.