Results
Education > K-12
Transition Planning Through K-12: Preparing Your Child for School Changes
...the new building, and unless you know exactly what to advocate for, those supports slip away before the ink dries. This is the version of transition planning...kind that starts in 5th grade, and again in 8th, and requires the same advocacy muscle each time. When to Start Elementary-to-Middle Transition Planning....
Education > Higher Education
Teaching Self-Advocacy Skills for College: A Transition Checklist
...What replaces it is self-advocacy. And here's what makes...schools provide self-advocacy instruction in transition...whether they get the supports they need. Then they...good news is that self-advocacy is a skill, not a personality...ever leaves home. Self-Advocacy Is Procedural Knowledge....and parents treat self-advocacy as something you either...
Special Needs > Learning Differences
IEP or 504: Which Plan Does Your Child with a Learning Difference Need?
...the two plans operate under different laws, provide different levels of support, and require different kinds of advocacy from you. Choosing the wrong one...laws, provide different levels of support, and require different kinds of advocacy from you. Choosing the wrong one or accepting what's offered without understanding...
Special Needs > Dyslexia
Dyslexia and College: How Accommodations Change and What Students Need to Know
...college, and you assume the same support system follows you. It doesn't work...because schools must identify and support students with disabilities. In college,...with dyslexia can absolutely get the support they need in college, but the process...requires a different kind of self-advocacy, and most students don't realize that...
Research > Funding
Private Foundations Funding Disability Research: A Guide for Advocates and Families
...than 2,100 publications across 360+ investigators. That's not supplemental support. That's critical infrastructure. For families navigating cerebral palsy,...around oncology trials. The result is a funding ecosystem where federal support dominates, and when federal budgets contract, entire research areas stall....
Research > Drug Development
Should Your Child Participate in a Clinical Trial? A Parent's Decision Framework
Your child's specialist just mentioned a clinical trial. Or an advocacy organization sent an email about a study recruiting for your child's condition. You've got a packet of information, a consent form that's thirty pages...
News > Advocacy
The R-Word Spiked 200% Online. A Disney Actor With Down Syndrome Made a 91-Second Response Parents Need to See.
...major Disney role. The video is now viral. Over 20,000 upvotes on Reddit's r/TikTokCringe, coverage from The Drum to Disability Scoop, and coalition support from the National Down Syndrome Society, Down's Syndrome Association UK, Canadian Down Syndrome Society, and five other international orgs. Noah's...
Education > Higher Education
College Programs for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: What CTPs Offer
...career-focused classes, or completing modules on financial literacy and self-advocacy. The emphasis isn't on grades or prerequisites. It's on building practical...businesses. Students practice job skills in real work environments, with support from job coaches or program staff. The goal is paid employment after program...
Special Needs > Respiratory Health
Respiratory Health for Children with Disabilities: A Complete Family Guide
...A ventilator-dependent child with a developmental disability needs a school team that understands both the medical equipment and the communication supports. This guide covers the most common respiratory conditions affecting children with special needs, how to manage them in daily life, and how to build...
Special Needs > Rare Disorders
IEP Advocacy for Children with Rare Disorders: When No One Has Done This Before
...doesn't need to understand the metabolic pathway. They need to understand that the child can't sustain attention through a 90-minute block without support. IDEA's 13 disability categories include "Other Health Impairment," which covers conditions that limit strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic...
Special Needs > Multiple Sclerosis
Living with Pediatric MS: A Complete Guide for Families
...never encountered them. This guide covers what families need to know: recognizing symptoms, understanding treatment options, advocating at school, and supporting your child's emotional wellbeing. It's built for the long haul, not just the first few months after diagnosis. Understanding Pediatric MS. Multiple...
Special Needs > Learning Differences
College with a Learning Difference: A Four-Year High School Preparation Guide
...knowing how to access the support they're entitled to. Parents...earlier, trying to teach self-advocacy skills that needed developmental...low-stakes contexts. Add self-advocacy to the IEP as a transition...post-secondary goals. Self-advocacy is a measurable, observable...belongs in the plan. A self-advocacy goal for freshman year might...