Project Title: Advocating for Your Child: A Guide for Special Education Parents
Overview: This course was created to support families who want to play an active role in their child’s education but often find themselves overwhelmed by the complexity of the special education system.
While school staff typically receive formal training in policies and procedures, parents are expected to learn those same systems on their own, often during stressful moments when quick decisions are being made. That disconnect can leave even the most engaged, resourceful parent feeling unsure of what to ask, what their rights are, or how to move forward.
Drawing from my experience as a teacher, parent, and advocate, I designed this course to close that gap. It’s clear, accessible, and focused on what families need to know in order to feel informed, prepared, and empowered.
The course can be used independently or shared through schools, nonprofits, and community-based organizations. It’s one small step toward making the system more understandable—and more equitable—for the people it’s meant to serve.
Solution
This course was designed to give families what they actually need: clarity, flexibility, and tools that make sense in real life—not more jargon or pressure.
It guides parents step-by-step through the special education process, from understanding their child’s legal rights to navigating evaluations, developing an IEP, and knowing what to do when things don’t go as expected.
Every family’s starting point is different. Some are just beginning to notice signs that their child may need additional support. Others are already deep into paperwork, meetings, or tough decisions. The course reflects that range. Each module offers straightforward explanations, relatable scenarios, interactive tools, and downloadable resources that families can revisit whenever they need them.
To keep the learning grounded, every section includes story-driven scenarios based on real-life experiences. These stories help bring the process to life—offering insight into how teachers, service providers, and administrators might think, while also validating what it’s like for parents on the other side of the table. One lesson even includes a simulated due process hearing to help reduce the fear and confusion that often surround formal disputes.
Although the course is designed for self-paced use, it can easily be shared by schools, healthcare providers, and community organizations. Whether recommended by a pediatrician, posted on a nonprofit website, or offered in a parent support group, it’s meant to be welcoming, useful, and easy to access.
This activity centers diverse learner experiences across multiple disability categories, guiding users to consider identity, barriers, and supports without making assumptions based on diagnosis alone.
This interactive map helps families navigate the IEP journey, breaking down complex steps into clear, clickable moments.
This scenario is part of a larger series that follows individual students through each step of the special education process- from early concerns to intervention planning- showing how supports take shape in real contexts.
This comparison activity introduces two students with ADHD, helping users explore how individual traits and life contexts shape learning needs beyond the diagnosis.
Recognizing that communication can either build bridges or reinforce barriers, this section provides tools for navigating difficult conversations, strengthening partnerships, and supporting shared decision-making.
This graphic introduces the full IEP team, using clickable chairs to highlight each role, emphasizing collaboration and the diverse expertise involved in supporting a child’s educational plan.
Learners explore how multiple team members contribute to student success, emphasizing the power of coordinated, student-centered support.
Designed for clarity and confidence, this interactive summary helps families make sense of evaluation documents using plain language and guided exploration.
This visual activity introduces the continuum of support, allowing users to explore different levels of educational services- from minimal to intensive- through an inclusive, clickable graphic.
This checklist equips parents with key questions to ask during the eligibility meeting, helping them engage confidently and advocate for informed next steps.
Curious about the full experience? Click the button below to navigate the course as a learner.