Special Education Advocacy & Consulting

About me

This is My Passion.


My goal is to provide you with the knowledge to be the person you needed in the beginning. 

I am a Non-Attorney Advocate and Consultant who works with parents and families throughout Massachusetts. I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and after college, I earned my Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School. I have also completed the William & Mary Law School’s Institute of Special Education Advocacy, the Council of Parent Attorney and Advocates (COPAA) Special Education Advocate Training (SEAT 2.0) year intensive Advocate training program, and the Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCSN) Parent Consultant Training Institute program. To stay current with special education laws, regulations and topics, I frequently attend professional development workshops, conferences and webinars. I am an active volunteer, a pro-bono parent consultant, and served as Co-Chairperson for my school district's SEPAC. I am also a proud member of the Council of Parent Attorney and Advocates (COPAA) and Special Needs Advocacy Network (SPaN).

 

Get in touch

Finding the right advocate to assist you through the special education process is a very personal choice. We offer free consultations to discuss your needs and the scope of your child's goals.

CONTACT FOR your CONSULTATION ▸


 
 
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Education


 

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
B.A., Political Science, 1998

Suffolk University Law School
Juris Doctor, 2002

William & Mary Law School Institute of Special Education Advocacy
Certificate- Special Education Advocacy, 2021

Council of Parent Attorney and Advocates
Special Education Advocate Training (SEAT) 2.0, October 2018 - May 2019

Council of Parent Attorney and Advocates
The Business of Special Education Advocacy (SEAT) 3.0, October 2018

Federation for Children with Special Needs
Parent Consultant Training Institute, Certificate, December 2017


 

Continuing Education

  • BSEA Update: (Dan Ahearn)

  • Coffee Talk with Deputy Commissioner Russell Johnston

  • Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia: Diagnosis, Interventions and the IEP

  • 2021 ARC Transition Conference

  • Why Didn’t Somebody Tell Me This? Things Advocates & Families Should Know

  • 2021 Special Education Conference & Virtual School Fair

  • IMSE 2021 Literacy Summit 

  • 2021 COPAA Virtual Summit

  • 2021 COPAA Virtual Summit: Advanced Advocate Training Representing Parents in Due Process Hearings

  • From Complaint to Compliance: Analyzing State Education Complaints to Deliver a Tool for Parents & Advocates (SPaN)

  • Compensatory Services - Basic Principles And What's New Since COVID-19 (SPaN)

  • Mary Poppins Meets COVID-19: How to Be a 'Practically Perfect' Advocate. (SPaN)

  • Annual Same Side of the Table: A Virtual Panel Discussion- School Discipline Reform (SPaN)

  • What You Need To Know (Elizabeth McIntyre, Staff Attorney at GLBS)

  • Dyslexia & Reading Disabilities (Dr. Nadine Gaab)

  • Reading Between the Lines - Understanding Reading Disabilities and Assessments (FCSN)

  • From Advocacy to Appeal: Dan Perlman (FCSN)

  • MAC Coalition Presentation: Nancy Duggan, Executive Director of Decoding Dyslexia 

  • Special Education in Massachusetts - Basic Rights Denied (Ellen Chambers, SpedWatch). 

  • Basic Rights in Special Education Workshops (FCSN)

  • ADHD: What is it, who has it, and what to do about it? (Amanda Tami, LPC, BCBA, The Johnson Center for Child Health & Development)

  • 10 Traits of Effective Parents in Special Education (FCSN) 

  • Visions of Community Conference (FCSN 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)

  • Basic Rights: Supporting Immigrant Parents through the Special Education Process (Mass Advocates for Children)

  • MCAS Series (FCSN Recruiting and Support Center)

  • Agreeing to Disagree - How to Effectively Resolve Disputes with School Districts. Part 1 (FCSN)

  • Everything You Need to Know About Evaluations and Were Afraid to Ask. Part 2 (FCSN)

  • Everybody Works…. Eventually! How Do We Pave the Way for Our Youth with Social/Emotional Issues to Transition from High School? (FCSN)

  • Mediation Seminar (FCSN Recruiting and Support Center)

  • Everything You Need to Know About Evaluations but Were Afraid to Ask (FSCN)

  • Navigating the Special Education Process - Questions & Answers (FSCN)

  • How to Support Dyslexic Students in your school (Terrie Noland)

  • Essentials for Running Your Advocacy Practice (Special Needs Advocacy Network, Inc.)

  • What Dyslexia Red Flags Look Like for Different Students in Different Grades (Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D.)

  • Applying the results of Neuropsychological Scores; Shaping the IEP (Daniel Reinstein, PhD and Dawn Burau, LMHC, SpED, Special Needs Advocacy Network, Inc.)

  • Meeting the Needs of Students with ASD Within the Mainstream Classroom (Nina Finkler, M.Ed., LDT/C, BCBA)


Affiliations / Memberships

  • Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocate (COPAA)

  • Special Needs Advocacy Network (SPaN Member) 

  • SEPAC Co-Chairperson (2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021)

  • FCSN Call Center Volunteer (2017 - 2020)

  • FCSN Pro Bono Special Education Advocate (2017 - present date)