Wrightslaw - The Special Ed Advocate - October 15, 2002 (Issue 182)

Dear $subst('Recip.FirstName'),

At Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills to navigate the confusing world of special education. In this issue, you learn about a new service to help you combat isolation and lack of information. .

Highlights: Parents need help, obstacles include isolation and lack of information; new service - Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities; flyers for your state Yellow Pages; listings on the Yellow Pages; fundraising and discounts on books.

Download online version of newsletter: https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/nwltr/2002/nl.1015.htm

The Special Ed Advocate newsletter is free - please forward this issue or the subscription link to your friends and colleagues so they can learn about special education law and advocacy too. We appreciate your help!

https://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

1. Parents Need Help - Obstacles Include Isolation & Lack of Information

What is the #1 question people ask Wrightslaw?

"Help! I need an expert to evaluate my child and advise the school about the services my child's needs. Can you send me the names of good evaluators in my town?" OR

"Help! We are having trouble with our school district. We need an advocate / attorney. Please help us. If you can't help, please send us the names of advocates / attorneys in our area who can."

Because we do not know evaluators, advocates, attorneys in every corner of the country, we are usually not able to help - frustrating!

As we continued to think about these problems, we came up with some ideas:

1. Most parents do not know where to turn for help - where to find an experienced evaluator, therapist, advocate, etc.

2. Many disabilities organizations do not recommend evaluators and providers because they are worried about conflict of interest and afraid they may alienate members or potential members.

3. "There is strength in numbers." Generally, large groups have more power than small groups.

4. Parents of kids with different disabilities are not connected. Parents of kids with autism, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, Down Syndrome, etc. seem to live on different islands. People who live on islands are often unaware of and /or mistrustful of people who live on other islands.

Many problems parents have are caused by isolation and lack of information. When we identified these issues as problems, we were able to devise solutions.

Life is easier when we can find reliable information and help in one place.

We decided to build the Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities so you can find information and help in one place:

http://www.fetaweb.com/help/states.htm

The Yellow Pages is your #1 source of information for all children with disabilities.

2. Visit Your State Yellow Pages on Fetaweb.com

We built the Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities so you can get reliable information and support.

http://www.fetaweb.com/help/states.htm

When you visit your state Yellow Pages, you'll find many different resources - government programs, grassroots organizations, and support groups. You'll also find evaluators, therapists, tutors, special ed schools, and parent support groups.

States A thru M

States N thru W

Alabama (AL)
Alaska (AK)
American Samoa
Arizona (AZ)
Arkansas (AR)
California (CA)
Colorado (CO)
Connecticut (CT)
Delaware (DE)
District of Columbia (DC)
Florida (FL)
Georgia (GA)
Guam
Hawaii (HI)
Idaho (ID)
Illinois (IL)
Indiana (IN)
Iowa (IA)
Kansas (KS)
Kentucky (KY)
Louisiana (LA)
Maine (ME)
Maryland (MD)
Massachusetts (MA)
Michigan (MI)
Minnesota (MN)
Mississippi (MS)
Missouri (MO)
Montana (MT)

Nebraska (NE)
Nevada (NV)
New Hampshire (NH)
New Jersey (NJ)
New Mexico (NM)
New York (NY)
North Carolina (NC)
North Dakota (ND)
Ohio (OH)
Oklahoma (OK)
Oregon (OR)
Pennsylvania (PA)
Puerto Rico (PR)
Rhode Island (RI)
South Carolina (SC)
South Dakota (SD)
Tennessee (TN)
Texas (TX)
Utah (UT)
Vermont (VT)
Virginia (VA)
Virgin Islands (VI)
Washington (WA)
West Virginia (WV)
Wisconsin (WI)
Wyoming (WY)
Northern Marianas Island

If you have a problem with the link to your state Yellow Pages, go to the main page for the Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities at http://www.fetaweb.com/help/states.htm

3. Flyers for Your State Yellow Pages

We built great Yellow Pages for each state. But the Yellow Pages won't help unless people know about them. We need your help.

To get the word out about the state Yellow Pages, we designed flyers for each state.

http://www.fetaweb.com/help/state.flyers.htm

State Yellow Pages flyers are in pdf so they are printer-friendly. They can also be posted on websites.

Here are some ideas about how to get the word out about your state Yellow Pages:

Distribute flyers at schools, day care centers, public libraries, doctor's and psychologist's offices, community centers, and hospitals.

Ask your school, public library, day care center, and support group to post your state flyer on their bulletin boards and websites.

Ask your child's teacher to post your state Yellow Pages flyer in the teacher's lounge and guidance office. Ask the school to include the flyer in your school newspaper too!

Ask your PTA or SEPTA to distribute the flyer. State Yellow Pages Flyers are great to distribute at conferences, seminars, training programs, and workshops.

Forward flyers to your friends and family members who live in other states (complete list).

Access all state flyers from this page: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/state.flyers.htm

Link to the Yellow Pages

Do you have a website? Please link to the Yellow Pages!

You can download colorful images from the Yellow Pages Links page -

http://www.fetaweb.com/help/add.htm

4. Yellow Pages Listings

If you provide a service to parents and want to be listed in your state Yellow Pages, you may be eligible for a free listing in the Yellow Pages.

We are accepting applications from evaluators, educational consultants, educational diagnosticians, academic tutors, advocates, attorneys, special ed schools, and others who help parents get services for their children.

The Yellow Pages are a free service - there is no charge to be listed.

To find out how you can submit an application to be listed, send an email to app@fetaweb.com

You will receive a automated response by email with directions about how to request a listing.

5. Fundraising? Planning a Conference or Training Program? 50% discount on Wrightslaw Books

Are you raising money for a nonprofit group? Are you planning a conference? A training program for parents or teachers?

Harbor House Law Press offers a special 50% discount on bulk orders of Wrightslaw books from advocacy organizations and individuals who provide advocacy training and/or training. This discount is available for boxes of 20 books, 40 books, 60 books, etc. (minimum order is 20 books).

Deeper discounts are available on larger purchases:
Buy 3 boxes (60 books), get free shipping
Buy 4 boxes (80 books), get another box (20 books) free.

Selling Wrightslaw books is a great way to win friends and earn money.

Learn about the Advocacy Challenge Discount:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/bks/advo_discount.htm