My education colleagues scoff at the credentials of special education advocates all the time. Some say, “You know, you don’t even need any special training to become an advocate.” Others will opine, “I could just quit my job as a teacher and become a special education advocate; that’s where the real money is.” These statements reflect a misunderstanding of the role that special education advocates play in the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Despite some peoples’ assumption that special education advocates and attorneys only exist to make life hard on educators and administrators in public schools, these advocates are necessary to ensure that school systems are held accountable to the regulations set forth in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Recently, I spoke with Denise Marshall, Executive Director of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, one of the largest special education advocacy organizations in the United States. We discussed some common misconceptions about special education advocates.
Tim Villegas: Could you spend just a little bit of time explaining what COPAA is, and what your role is in the organization?
Denise Marshall: Sure. COPAA is a national nonprofit organization, and we protect the civil and legal rights of students with disabilities. We have a diverse membership. We have parents and family members, attorneys, advocates, related professionals, brothers, and sisters, grandmothers, and other family members.
We have one restriction on membership, and that is that educators cannot make more than 50 percent of their income from the school district directly. And the reason for that is that many of our members are in some level of dispute with the system, and we use our resources to talk with each other about strategy and about best practice and things like that. We were specifically designed for people who were on the parents’ side of the table, if there is a dispute over education.