1 / 18

Equip for Equality and the Special Education Clinic

Equip for Equality and the Special Education Clinic. Presentation to Holland & Knight January 13, 2010. You can make a difference . 18 year old, product of CPS Cannot read bed time stories or medicine labels for her two young children

lenora
Download Presentation

Equip for Equality and the Special Education Clinic

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Equip for Equality and the Special Education Clinic Presentation to Holland & Knight January 13, 2010

  2. You can make a difference • 18 year old, product of CPS • Cannot read bed time stories or medicine labels for her two young children • Flunked 3rd grade twice, before being placed in special education system. Passed from grade to grade, while reading at a pre kindergarten level and doing 1st grade math • CPS continued to ignore her educational needs • We filed for a due process hearing • As a result, she was placed in a school for students with severe learning disabilities • She is reading three letter words for the first time

  3. Equip for Equality’s History • Founded in 1985 • Private and independent not-for-profit • Designated by Governor Thompson as the Protection & Advocacy System for people with disabilities in Illinois • Federally mandated and funded, every state has a Protection & Advocacy • Serves people with all disabilities of all ages across the state

  4. Equip for Equality Staff and Offices • 48 Staff Members • 24 Attorneys • 4 Offices: • Chicago • Rock Island • Springfield • Carbondale

  5. Equip for Equality Client Statistics • 3,265 clients served last year • An additional 4,384 people attended EFE training seminars • Thousands benefited from EFE’s systemic litigation (EFE is not prohibited from bringing class actions) • Over 800 special education clients served last year

  6. Equip for Equality Who We Serve • Race/Ethnicity: • 39% of clients were people of color • Income: • 65% of clients had an annual income of less than $15,000 a year even though EFE does not have mandated income guidelines • Age: • 23 % of clients were 18 and under • 67 % of clients were 19 - 59 • 10 % of clients were 60 and over

  7. Equip for Equality’s Priority Areas Three legal practice areas are: • Special Education • Safety from Abuse and Neglect • CSA: Community Integration, Self-determination, & Anti-Discrimination Other areas of focus include: • Public Policy • Training Institute

  8. Legal Needs of People with Disabilities • Recent study reviewed the legal needs of low income people in Illinois • 50% of low income people have a legal problem annually • However, if a person with a disability is in the household, the figure jumps to 75% • Study confirms people with disabilities have a greater need for legal representation than the general population

  9. Legal Needs in Education Cases • Legal Needs Study also reviewed substantive issues where the legal needs were unmet • Education was found to be issue with the highest unmet legal need at 90% • 51.1% of education cases involved either the denial of special education services or inappropriate special education services • Among the 23 legal aid providers in Illinois, EFE handles over 50% of all education cases of low income people in Illinois

  10. Legal Representation in Special Education Cases Recent Study of Special Ed Cases in Illinois: • Parents had legal representation in 44% of cases • School districts had legal representation in 94% of cases • Parents rarely prevail in special education due process hearings when unrepresented: • Without an attorney, parents prevail only 20% of the time • With an attorney, parents prevail nearly 50% of the time

  11. Equip for Equality’sSpecial Education Clinic • To address the current disparity in special education legal advocacy, EFE launched its Special Education Clinic in 2007 • Special Ed Clinic Staff: • 7 Attorneys - 1 MSW Senior Advocate

  12. Priority Areas of Special Education Clinic Top Issues Handled by the Special Education Clinic: • Ensuring students are served in the Least Restrictive Environment • Implementation of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) • Accommodations & Modifications at School • Suspension and Expulsion • Transition Services • Restraint and Seclusion • Assistive Technology

  13. Components of EFE’s Special Education Clinic • Statewide Toll-Free Helpline • Extended Advice and Hands-on Support to Parents • Negotiation with the School • Legal Representation in Due Process Hearings and Federal Court • Legal Rights Seminars for Parents and Older Students

  14. Representation of Underserved Students Latino Outreach and Advocacy Project • Bilingual/bicultural attorney staffs neighborhood offices • Legal representation of Latino students with disabilities • Trainings in Spanish on special education law Juvenile Justice Project • Breaks the “school-to-jail” trend by representing students in the juvenile justice system on education issues • Reduces recidivism rates • Increases educational opportunities Autism Project • Address the need for education advocacy for children with autism, the fastest growing developmental disability category in Illinois • Targets early intervention services and appropriate educational supports and placements in low income and minority communities

  15. Partnership with the Private Bar Pro Bono Opportunities • Telephone Helpline Assistance • IEP Meetings • ISBE/OCR Complaints • Expulsion Hearings • Due Process Hearings • Federal Court Appeals • Parent Trainings • Parent Friendly Informational Materials

  16. Support for Pro Bono Attorneys • Firm-wide trainings • Written materials on various topic areas • Ongoing support and contact • 7 staff attorneys • Shadowing opportunities

  17. Case Example • 6th grader in trouble at school • School wants to send to alternative school without evaluating for special ed • Grandmother/guardian has 3rd grade education • Pro bono attorney attended the IEP meeting • Found eligible for special education • Student able to remain at neighborhood school • Receiving supports, services and behavior modification plan • Now student will have a chance to succeed

  18. Equip for Equality and the Special Education Clinic QUESTIONS? Thank you for your time and interest!

More Related