This training has information about parent rights and describes a process for filing a community complaint. When parents believe their child’s school has done something inappropriate related to the Individualized Education Program—their IEP—filing a complaint is one option available.
This training will help you know where to get a community complaint form and walks you through a pretend situation to demonstrate use of the form. The community complaint process is a no-cost option for families of children who receive special education services.
For more information and to access the community complaint form in your language, visit the website of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the state educational agency for Washington State. To find the form, click on the question, “Is there a form for filing a community complaint?” The drop-down menu provides language options to download the form.
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Asking for something you want or need for yourself or someone you love can take courage and inner strength. The ask is easier when you have basic advocacy tools. This short video provides a two-step process to help advocates step into their role with more confidence.
Here are the words that go with the video:
Being an advocate means speaking up to request something and pressing onward until the goal is met. The best advocates are really clear about two steps you cannot skip:
Know what you want, and;
Know who has the power to make that possible.
This may sound obvious, but it’s not always easy. Let’s break it down with an example.
This is Julia—she’s a mom. Her 7-year-old son, Jose, isn’t learning to read like other kids his age. Julia wonders if Jose might have a learning disability. She mentions this to the attendance secretary one morning. Nobody contacts her. She assumes her worries are wrong or not important.
Hmmm, that doesn’t sound quite right, does it?
If she applies our two-step guide to advocacy, Julia can try again. She starts here:
What does she want?
Who has the power to make that happen?
First, she wants her son to get more reading help at school. Second, a classroom teacher or a special education teacher might help, but the attendance secretary is not the right person to ask.
It will take some work to press onward. Julia may need an appointment to formally talk with Jose’s teacher or a school administrator to get her advocacy project started. Here are some questions she might ask:
What do I do if I think my son might have a learning disability?
Is there a form for me to request a special education evaluation?
Who should I send my request to?
When will I get a response?
What’s the process for getting services to help my son?
What are my options if I disagree with the school’s decision?
Making a list of questions is an advocate’s homework. Taking careful notes helps with planning and often leads to faster results.
Remember, Julia wants her son to get more help learning to read. Her questions will help her figure out who to work with and what to do next.
Advocacy requires persistence. Don’t give up, and keep your eye on these two questions:
What do I want?
Who has the power to work with me and make that happen?
Meet new people, have fun, and talk about what you like to do!
Find a good new friend, learn to take the bus, manage your money, and learn how to be more presentable.
The gym helped me get more in shape and gave me my first job!
“I just wanted to better myself. To be like a superhero. And after doing my resume and sending it to the online site << boom >> I got a job! And joining PURPAS I got new friends and learn how to take of myself.” – Randy
We envision an inclusive community that values the unique abilities, cultures, voices, contributions, and potential of all individuals. Please join us in sharing Randy’s Recipe for Empowerment!
And if you, or those you know, can make a year-end donation, of any amount, thank you!
Get on waitlists and get engaged in community programs!
Connect with other parents
Grace for yourself & find what works for you!
“Our children are children. Sometimes they are not ready, and we’re not ready to handle this now. For example, cold and flu season can be hard to start or add more therapies. We learned from our wrong turns.” – Andrea
We hope you found hope, inspiration, and ideas for you, your child, or others you may know. And if you know We hope you found hope, inspiration, and ideas for you, your child, or others you may know. And if you know of anyone able to donate…any amount – $5, $10, $50. All donations will help PAVE provide support, training, information, and resources to empower and give voice to individuals, youth and families impacted by disabilities. Please pass on Arianna & Andrea’s Recipe for Empowerment!
Know your rights as a parent and your child’s rights, as a student.
Know the framework for an IEP and 504 Plans.
“So that when you are ready to navigate the schools you are ready for what may come up and assure your child’s rights! You – the parent/guardian – are the only constant while members of the team will rotate.” – Nadine
We hope you enjoyed this short video, one parent to another, one child at a time. Its why PAVE exists.
With your help, we hope others will invest in our mission with a year-end financial gift, if possible. What matters most is to pass on this recipe for empowerment! Share the recipe of Nadine and Grayson!
This video provides a mindfulness practice to make good feelings stick like Velcro. When the mind focuses on what’s going well, stress can slide off like Teflon. We’re sort of hard-wired to do the opposite. Click to understand why and learn a trick to hack your nervous system to spend more time thinking about good stuff and feeling mentally well.
Have you ever felt like your student’s Individualized Education Program—their IEP—just isn’t a good fit? This short video provides an analogy to help families and schools talk about improvements.
Here are the words that go with the video:
Imagine if the school was responsible to provide a suit of clothes for your student. The clothes must fit in size and style. Let’s pretend your child is eligible for this specially tailored suit because clothes off the rack fit so poorly that the child won’t leave home. This problem is impacting everything.
This is sort of like the school’s responsibility to provide a child who has an IEP with FAPE. FAPE stands for Free Appropriate Public Education. The services delivered through an IEP make education appropriate because they are tailored to fit the child based on their strengths and needs. FAPE is what makes school accessible for a student with a disability.
Let’s go back to pretending that the school must provide a well-fitting suit. Imagine that the school opens a closet and says, “Let’s see what we have in here.” What they pull out might be too big, too small, outrageously mismatched or in colors and patterns that make your child grimace and refuse to get dressed. They might find bits and pieces that work, but chances are high that they won’t be able to put together a whole outfit without trying a little harder and getting out the sewing machine.
That’s like the work of an IEP team—to pull out the tools everyone needs to creatively build a program that is a good fit for the student.
The school is responsible under federal law to provide eligible students with FAPE. Tailoring a program to meet individualized needs in light of the child’s circumstances is part of FAPE. If you think your school is digging around in a closet trying to find a program for your student that is ready made, you can remind them that an IEP is individually tailored to fit the student.
Our Parent Training and Information team at PAVE hopes your IEP team designs a program that outfits your child for a successful journey through education. If you’d like our support, click Get Help from PAVE’s website, wapave.org.
When emotions overwhelm us, we sometimes react in ways that we later regret. “Name it to Tame it” is a concept from neuroscientist Dan Siegel. It means that if we identify our emotions and work with them, instead of pushing them away, we are better equipped for self-control. This simple body sensing meditation creates a way to practice emotional self-awareness and build mental muscles for emotional regulation.
For more videos about mindfulness, please go to wapave.org Thanks for watching!
Mindfulness can mean anything that helps you slow down and show up for what’s happening in a moment. This video demonstrates how to notice all of the body’s senses on a nature walk. Once it’s familiar, the concept could be useful in any environment, including indoors. Get creative and if it’s developmentally appropriate, you can encourage children to make up their own journey through their senses.
When overwhelm is happening, it’s hard to imagine that getting organized will help. But here’s why it’s worth it: When you feel satisfied that you’ve done something, your brain releases happiness chemicals and hormones. This video provides information about how that works and how families can tap into happy by getting organized and taking time each day to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments.
Staff from PAVE’s Parent Training and Information (PTI) program provided a workshop as part of the statewide virtual conference hosted by NAMI Washington October 16, 2021.
This recorded training provides a general overview of student rights in education. Some information is specific to students impacted by mental health conditions.
The formal content begins about four minutes into the video and ends at about 46 minutes.
Here are a few examples of topics addressed:
Does my student have the right to be evaluated for special education if they refuse to go to school because of anxiety?
What accommodations are reasonable to ask for?
What services might be possible for my student who struggles with emotional regulation?
Can counseling be a related service?
Are there protections for a student because of suicidal thoughts or attempts?
What support is available for a student with a disability condition who isn’t prepared for adulthood because high school got interrupted by the pandemic?
Additional information about mental health education and services at school, the overall layout of youth behavioral health in Washington State, and where to find family support is included in a PAVE article: Mental Health Education and Support at School can be Critical.
To seek education, training, and support from the National Alliance on Mental illness, look for a virtual training or information about a local affiliate near you, listed on the NAMI WA website.
Families and young people can reach out for individualized assistance from PAVE’s Parent Training and Information (PTI) staff at PAVE. Click Get Help or call 800-572-7368.
After you view the video, please take a quick moment to complete our survey. Your feedback is valuable!
This two-part video series provides information about the rights of babies, toddlers, and young children with developmental delays or disabilities.
Part 1 provides information about early support services for babies through age 3. An interactive exercise is included to help families better understand how to participate in development of functional outcomes as part of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). The video includes information about how early support services are provided and delivered in Washington State and where to begin. Keep in mind that early services are provided in the natural environment—places where babies and toddlers would spend their days if there was no disability.
Part 2 includes information about the transition from early services into preschool and primary school. Families will learn how decisions are made about eligibility for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and how to participate in educational decision-making for their child. Inclusion in general education is covered, with information about federal requirements for services in the Least Restrictive Environment, to the maximum extent appropriate. The video explains the components of an IEP and provides advocacy tips to support parents and children throughout their educational years.
Families can reach out for individualized assistance from our Parent Training and Information (PTI) staff at PAVE. Click Get Help or call 800-572-7368.
After you view the video, please take a quick moment to complete our survey. Your feedback is valuable!
