Support COPAA's Work Protecting Rights of Students with Disabilities

I do not usually use the blog to encourage contributions to an organization but COPAA (described below) is the bulwark that is protecting students' rights on a national and local level. Please read the following and consider donating and joining COPAA as it is open to parents, advocates and attorneys.

The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) needs YOUR financial support to continue our work towards excellence in special education advocacy.    Special Education Advocacy Gets Results. COPAA is the leading national organization for special education attorneys and advocates.  COPAA promotes excellence in advocacy on behalf of the 7.1 million children with disabilities in America.      Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) over three decades ago "to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education . . . designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living."  While many students with disabilities receive a good education, far too many receive an education that is weak and inadequate.  Congress envisioned parents as equal partners in developing their children's educational programs; however, parents are often unable to participate meaningfully in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process or exercise their rights without representation.  They face a playing field that is neither level nor fair.   COPAA is committed to creating a level playing field and to ensuring children with disabilities receive the same high-quality education as other children.  COPAA is the national voice for special education rights and excellence in advocacy.   "The greatest benefit of COPAA is the collaboration of seasoned professionals in Special Education Advocacy.  The information I receive from the COPAA network makes the difference in whether a child I represent is able to go to school the next day, be safe from abuse in the name of treatment, or receive high quality educational services and supports."    Donations enable COPAA to: · Provide timely and accurate information about student and parent rights   · Provide comprehensive information about best practices in education.    · Support advocates and attorneys in obtaining critical legal and educational information to pursue quality educational services and supports for students with disabilities. · Facilitate collaborative problem solving and information sharing that result in effective advocacy. · Increase parent access to informed counsel and knowledgeable advocate representation.   · File amicus curiae briefs in cases of national significance. · Advocate for student and parent rights in Congress and the courts. · and much more!    Please support our work by making a donation today.  Click on the COPAA logo to donate online or print a mail-in form.       COPAA is a 501 (c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Comments

[Marjorie Greenberg]

I am glad COPAA is supporting special education services on the Coasts, but I come from a state with one attorney who takes student cases, no ESY, no IEE.

I hope that the organization realizes that its programs and agendas don't do much for states that are way behind the times.