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Our Advocacy Services Our approach to advocacy had been and remains focused on the needs of the student. Our goal is to work with school personnel towards resolution of issues respecting the input of all participants. One advantage we offer over others that advocate, is the fact that we work in schools on an ongoing basis and know first hand what support structures are possible. Our advocacy and consulting team provides customized services based on the needs of each family/school, recognizing that each family and school community is unique. We pride ourselves on the fact that we make a commitment to understand the needs of families and the culture of schools and provide advocacy/consulting services that are customized to each families/schools particular need. Our professional advocacy services range from simple to very complex just as the needs of the students and families we support. Services have ranged from answering a few questions on the telephone to testifying in a due process hearing. We support students of all ages, abilities, and grade levels. Most of our clients are focused in the Chicago Metropolitan and Northern Indiana areas however we have and will travel to most locals to provide advocacy support. We are not bound by any geographic boundaries. The following are just some of the areas of advocacy we provide:
Meeting Attendance & Participation Having individuals present who can offer support and guidance often allows family members to feel confident in their ability and willingness to share their thoughts on various issues. Our role as an advocate/consultant is to support and allow you to speak and participate in a  © 2002 Michael F. Giangreco, Illustration by Kevin Ruelle Peytral Publications, Inc. 952-949-8707 www.peytral.com We attend any of the following types of meetings:
Testing and educational data plays a very large part in the development of a child's educational plan. Our advocate/consultants are familiar with common evaluation tools and are able to connect them to a particular child's educational needs in order to develop an appropriate plan. We have both the knowledge and experience to understand the different tests that schools use when conducting a case study evaluation. We are able to interpret the many reports and scores that are read and discussed during the IEP meetings. Deciphering basic educational evaluations and understanding what are the measures of intelligence result in effectively using the testing in preparing your child's education plan.
Individual Education Program (IEP) Process Support A working knowledge of the basic rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) provide a framework for building an appropriate plan for any child. All protections and recourse for the child must be addressed in writing in the IEP. Our advocate/consultants can help construct an enforceable IEP that secures appropriate education for the child. We understand the IEP process and what all those boxes and check marks really mean. Therefore, we can explain to you the basic components/core elements in an IEP, the details of the evaluation and the various eligibility designations, and help identify the need for and various types of related services and appropriate accommodations and modifications for inclusion in your child's IEP. Additionally we are able to review your existing IEP's appropriateness and/or assist your team in drafting a new IEP with measurable goals, benchmarks and short-term objectives that address the specific needs of your child and review and advice on placement alternatives keeping in mind the components of the Least Restrictive Environment.Everyone Is Welcome, Inc. advocate/consultants know the fundamentals of inclusion and the strategies and components to making inclusion work and advocating for the Least Restrictive Environment. Our advocates/consultants understand schools , how schools are structured, how resources are configured, who make the decisions about resources and how to navigate the bureaucracies of schools. We are able to identify:
The knowledge and expertise of our advocate/consultants can assist you in monitoring your child's educational program. Our advocates/consultants can determine:
Educational Program Assessment
Our educational consultants are often requested by parents, schools, & attorneys to provide an educational program assessment. Reasons vary depending on who is making the request. Both parents and schools may what an objective observation of the child's educational day to learn what is working and if there is room for improvement. Attorneys may want to know similar information in order to prepare for a staffing, mediation or due process hearing. Our educational consultants are familiar with the various specific disabilities and their impact on learning, access to curriculum and support. They know where to look and who to talk with in order to gather additional information or expertise with regards to a specific disability. Our educational consultants are able to gathering information and decipher what the main issues are and the student needs. This process may often involve a review of basic documentation in a school file; parent, student, and other interviews; and direct observation of the student in their educational program to gain an understanding of the issues and their needs. Information gathered is shared verbally with the requesting parties either individually and/or as part of a formal or informal meeting with school personnel. Written reports can be drafted if necessary at an additional cost of the time required.Transition planning is a very important aspect of a child's education planning. Good person-centered transition planning is the bridge between the student's school career and life after graduation. Our advocate/consultants understand the Transition Planning process, and why it is so important. To become effective leaders, students need to learn to be involved in educational planning and decision making. The key to involvement is that the student is an active, rather than passive, participant in his or her transition and education plan. Our advocate/consultants encourage investing the student in their plan. Everyone Is Welcome, Inc. can work with your young adult, family and transition team to delineate practices that promote an effective school to post school transition.
On occasion we are requested by attorneys to offer expert testimony in due process hearings. This generally follows and educational program assessment in which a direct observation of the student in their educational program has occurred. Because of our vast experience with supporting students in the least restrictive environment, we on occasion are requested to testify on the support issues regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities and other related topics. In addition to supporting families, Everyone Is Welcome, Inc. provides Staff Training & Development to schools and providers of service as well. Because we support public schools efforts to include students with disabilities, we know first hand the challenges, resources, and what is possible in the schools setting. We know the importance of collaborative teams that support and welcome parents and how to work with schools to make that happen. As a result, Everyone Is Welcome, Inc. is constantly expanding the scope of our advocacy/consulting services to be responsive to the variety of needs encountered in the families/schools we have had the opportunity to serve. In 2007, providing our families with individualized tutoring services based on IEP goals and ABA therapy services. |
| 3 South 2nd Street St. Charles, IL 60174 ph: 630-584-0970 info@eiwelcome.com |
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