"What I Plan To Do with 'The Second Book'" 
Your Creative Ideas 

When we made the Free Books Offer, we asked what you planned to do with your second book. We knew you'd have some "Creative Ideas" but we've been overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness and generosity.

You want to help others! Many of you plan to donate "The Second Book" to a person, group or organization and you've given thought to the "ideal recipient." One person summed this up by writing "I'm sure you agree that knowledge is power," then described plans to donate "The Second Book" to a lending library so that many others can benefit. 

Here are your ideas about "The Second Book." (In most cases, we identified people by their first names and states; in a couple of cases, we changed the individual's name "to protect the innocent.") 

(NOTE: If you sent a note about your plans for "The Second Book" but don't see your idea listed, bookmark this page and check back again in a few days. These ideas are from letters we received by March 20. We'll continue to add creative ideas from your letters.) 

Your Creative Ideas
Mid-March 2000

GREAT  PROMOTION! GREAT BOOKS! A friend passed this offer on to me. Thank you! I plan to give the extra books as gifts. Nancy from California

I will give the second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to a friend who is a Legal Aid attorney but who wants to move into special education as a parent attorney. Ellen from New York

I have given several copies of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to attorneys and counselors who deal with disabled children. I will keep these free books at home to deal with issues involving my own disabled child. Deborah from South Carolina

I will donate the second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to our school library to be the first book in our "inclusion library." Leslie from Ohio

As a new attorney and retired public school counselor, I know parents need understandable, accurate information to help them through the labyrinth of assessments, IEPs, re-evals, etc. My copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law is highlighted, underscored, dog-eared, and laden with post-it notes. I will make the second book available to parents, therapists and others through my lending library. Thanks for this generous offer, your web site, your newsletter, and your dedication to children with special needs. Joyce from California

I will give my second book to my son's Youth Support Worker who has worked with us for seven years. Without his help, we would never have made it this far. Nancy from Massachusetts

Parent advocates need a copy for their home and car. And other places! Our office bought the set and I've incorporated your suggestions for parents into my daily work. I've used Pam's article, "From Emotions to Advocacy," for a couple of years. You two are a dynamite team! Thanks for all you're doing to help those of us on the front lines - and the parents. Belinda from Alaska

I've planned to purchase the book since I added the book to the "Book Picks" page of our website in October. But I have a stack of books to read and planned to wait until summer. When I saw this offer, I couldn't resist any longer! I expect to loan the books out to our SPED parents who need this  information. Melody from Massachusetts

These books will be used in training programs for families who are adopting children with special needs from foster care systems in Washington and Oregon. Joan from Washington

I do volunteer advocacy work and also serve as a Mediator. Many parents have few resources. I will share my copies of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law with them. Linda from Florida
I am a special education teacher in a rural area. The second book will be a gift for a family member who is attending college to become a special education teacher. Thank you! Theresa from Virginia

The second book will be shared by a group of concerned parents of special education students. Kathy from Pennsylvania

Our son is deaf/blind and there is not much written about issues that affect these children. We will use this book as a resource for other parents. William from South Carolina

We will use one copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law at our office to answer parents' questions and the extra copy to loan to parents who have specific concerns or needs. Kristen from Kansas

I will use my books in my advocacy work - they will be especially helpful with our new Parent Advocacy /Support Group SEAL (Special Education Advocates Under the Law). Bernadette from New York

As an active member of our local PAC and an informal advocate for other parents, the free book will be a great resource for others. Linda from Massachusetts

I will donate the second book to the parent advocacy group that I work with - "Pro-Oklahoma." Kort from Oklahoma 

The second book will go to my sister who is working as an advocate for special needs children and their families. Darlene from Pennsylvania

I plan to give the second book to a family member who has a special needs child. Brenda from Illinois

I plan to keep one book at home to share, and keep one at work for a reference. Joe from Virginia

I plan to give the second book to a co-worker - we advocate for families who have children with mental illnesses. Leah from New Hampshire

I will donate the second book to our S.E.P.A.C. group, a parents group for our school district. Bonnie from Pennsylvania

My sister is in school to be a special educator with an emphasis on inclusion. She has been a great support person since my son's diagnosis. I will give my second copy to her as a resource for her and her future students. Jodie from New York

I will give the second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to our local CHADD chapter. Jane from Pennsylvania

I will loan the second book to my attorney and to parents who are trying to get special education to help their children. Thanks so much for your "second book offer." Sharon from Texas

I will give my second copy to the Special Education Coordinator in the district where I work. Nancy from California

Early March 

Aloha and thanks for your offer! We work with many families with special needs children so your book will be a resource in our lending library. Larry from Hawaii

I am a volunteer parent advocate in rural northwestern Illinois. Many of my clients are financially strapped and desperately need information to enhance their advocacy skills. The additional copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law will be a fantastic addition to the books I lend to these clients. Tammera from Illinois

I am the parent of two boys in special ed, have taken advocacy training, and am a parent representative for CSE meetings. I am working to form a non-profit organization called SEAL (Special Education Advocates Under the Law) so am trying to achieve a "non-profit" status. These books will be lent to parents so they can read the laws and prepare for CSE meetings and advocate more effectively for their children. Gerry from New York

I am donating both books to the parent special education library in our school. Thank  you! Patti from Massachussets

I am giving my second book to my daughter who is a practicing attorney in New York. She is interested in special education law and is anxious to get this book. Carol from Maryland

I will give the extra copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to a young school psychologist colleague whom I am mentoring so she will be able to help children and their parents, understand and observe the rights of these children and their parents, and serve as a resource to school personnel. This leaves me with an extra copy that will be a loaner for parents and teachers. John from New Hampshire 

I am a CHADD Coordinator - the Wrightslaw books are for our CHADD chapter library. Jan from Missouri

The second book will help my children's children. Beatrice from Ohio

I plan to give the second book to a mother who is a single parent to a child with disabilities. Ann from New York

I plan to give my second book as a gift to a non-profit advocate who helped us in IEP meetings before I hired an attorney. Karen from California

As President of our local Autism Society, I will use the second book for our resource library. I want to develop a workshop to train parents about effective IEPs. I know your book will be critical for learning about educational law! Thank you for this wonderful promotion! Allison from Florida

Our Learning Disabilities Association will use both books for our members and will do a book review in our newsletter. Thank you! Nancy from California

I already owned a copy of your book (ordered from your site before it was released and autographed - THANKS!) so I now have two books to give away. One copy will go to the attorney who "borrowed" my copy for more than three months. The second book will go to a wonderful licensed psychologist who, as a member of my child's IEP team, has suffered through countless hours of IEP meetings with me. Both are extremely deserving for their efforts in helping children. Sue from Oklahoma

I have been an advocate for children and their parents for over 20 years. New parents need to learn the "route through" the process. FEW parents learn from their schools that there is a federal statute with implementing regulations which is why this book is so important. State process and procedures are emphasized over federal law which leads to serious problems. "Wrightslaw" will help "right" these perceptions and practices. Fran from Vermont

I am the mother to a 12 year old mentally retarded child who has been in special education schools since the age of two. I am the president of the parents' assocation at his school. I have decided to donate the second book to our parents' association. I would like to help other parents stay abreast of their rights regarding special education law. Lori from New York

We plan to give the second copy of Wrightslaw to my wife's brother who is adopting a child with special needs. Tim from Washington

In ARC, I receive calls almost daily from parents of children with disabilities with questions about their rights in the special education system. Your books will help me give accurate information to parents, and help the parents who visit our resource library learn about their rights and how to get a good education for their children. Thank you for making this offer so can expand the resources available to the families we serve! Deb from Ohio

I am so happy I found your site. My husband and I have been battling with our school district about our son's education for more than a year . We have gone to about 20 meetings and are getting nowhere. When we found your web site, we were happy that there is such a resource. It has given us the knowledge and confidence to fight back! I will give the second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to new friends, another family whose son has autism, so they can also learn. Thank you for giving us strength! Sheila from New York

I plan to lend the book to parents who can use this information. Chris from Pennsylvania

I plan to give the second book to a friend who advocates for children with special needs. Nancy from Vermont 

I still haven't decided what I will do with the second volume of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law. I may give it to a client or to a friend who works for local schools. Regardless, I appreciate your generous offer. My bookseller had to go through three distributors before he found one who could ship the book. I hope your offer helps to grease the skids for distribution of this work. Peter from Virginia

I plan to give the second book as a gift to a friend. Julie from Wisconsin

I will donate the second book to our Down Syndrome Support Group. Our lending library has over 300 items that members can borrow. Kay from New York

I plan to give the second book to a family who has a non-verbal LD child and who has had a terrible time with the school district. Sue from Vermont

I plan to donate the second book to our County Special Education Cooperative. Heather from Texas

I will share the books with our school special education parent support group and with our chapter of the Down Syndrome Association. Thank you for this offer. Ann from Ohio

I plan to give the second book to a parent who is becoming an advocate for children in special education. Richard from Hawaii

I work with a group recognized by the state as the group to comment on education law. Some appointees could use an update about special education law and regulations. I will use the second book as a lending copy for this group. John from Delaware

I will most likely give the second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to the school my child attends. Many of the school personnel that I have dealt with do not know the law or have been misinformed. Some will find this information very helpful. Lu from  North Carolina

I supervise several social workers who work as private foster care and family preservation contractors. We consistently have difficulties working with some schools on special education issues. I believe it would be in our clients' best interests to educate their case managers and to have Wrightslaw: Special Education Law available as a resource for them. Pat from Kansas

I learned about this Offer in your newsletter, The Special Ed Advocate, from a colleague. She also gave me insight into the need to have a better understanding of special education law. I thought this book might be a good place to start. I plan to offer the second book to this colleague. Lisa from Rhode Island 

The second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law will go to our local Autism Society of America chapter's lending library. Keith from Virginia

I plan to donate my free book to the local special education parent advisory council that I belong to - Great promo! Lee from Mass

I plan to give the second book to my friend and teaching mentor who encouraged me to go into the field of special education. Kim from Illinois

I plan to give my second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to my dyslexic son on his 18th birthday on March 14. A signed copy would make this gift even more special. (Yes, we sent the signed copy!) Elizabeth from New Jersey

I plan to give the second book to the school where I work. As a special educator, I know it is important that such a resource is available to parents, students, and other educators. Joy from North Carolina

The second copy of Wrightslaw and the Tactics & Strategy Manual will go in our reference library at Resource Room, a provider of educational materials and services for the special needs of unique learners and Net Haven, a source of online information and support for parents, teachers, tutors, and students. Erin from Illinois

I plan to give the free books to the Special Education Advisory Committee as resources for all parents with special needs. I am accumulating as much information as I can for this library. Thank you for helping! Judith from Texas

I plan to donate my second book to our Public Library so all parents can access this information. Thanks! Suzanne from Mass

Your service is great - has helped a lot of parents! I plan to share the books with parents who have students in special education programs. John from New Hampshire

I plan to give my second book to a friend who has helped me and who has a child in special ed. Linda from Maryland

My wife, a teachers aide, will use the second copy, we plan to go through the Tactics & Strategy Manual together. Our son is classified "ED/LD" and we have had nothing but problems getting the school to provide the services he needs to learn. They placed him in a "BD Room" where expectations are lower and he can swear in class as long is it isn't in anger. Tim from Illinois

I plan to donate my second book to the Parents' Resource Library in our school system. Suzanne from Mass.

February 2000

I am donating my 2^nd copy to be used as a prize at the next convention of Supporting Persons with Severe Disabilities. Valerie from Washington

I work as a Diversion Coordinator in a prosecutor's office. Every day I see kids who have learning disabilities and behavior control disorders and drop out of school because of frustration. I want to help develop programs for these children so I will use my second book at work. My first copy is for personal use -- my son has ADD. Judy from Kansas

We will give the second book to my sister-in-law who is an active special education parent advocate on Long Island. She will be thrilled! Chris from New York

I will give my free copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law and the Tactics & Strategy Manual to the library at the Mid-Valley Learning Center so other parents can get help advocating for their children in the public schools. Keith from Oregon

I am donating both books to the Library of the Autism Society of Wichita. Donna from Kansas

I will donate my second copy to the Weingarten Oral School for the Deaf in California for use by other parents and staff. Martin from California

What to do with my second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law is a dilemma. As a special education consultant, I know that many school districts need the book. Many of my families would benefit from the book because they could learn the law. I know another advocate who doesn't charge families who cannot afford her services. I think she will get the second book -- this will help the most people. Diane from California

I plan to donate my book to the Dyslexia Institute of MN/Reading Center Library. Nancy from MN; ALSO Diane from MN.

I will give my second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law as a gift to a friend whose child has LD, ADHD, and ODD. Her son is in the 7^th grade, is only working at the 3^rd grade level, and the school does not have an appropriate program for him. Nancy from Pennsylvania

I am a Resource Specialist in an elementary school. I'm sure you agree that knowledge is power. I will use these books as part of a lending library for parents and others who are concerned about protecting and ensuring students' rights under IDEA. In this way, your knowledge will empower many others. Merle from California

I'll keep one book at home, the second book in my brief case so I'll have access to the information no matter where I am. Like American Express, never leave home without it! THANK YOU! Debra from California

I will give the second book to one of my field advocates to use in her work with parents of children with special education issues. Elliott from West Virginia

I will give the second book to a friend who has an autistic child. She is also on the special education committee at our local school board. Eva from New Jersey

I will donate the second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to our support group for the Downs Developmental Counsel. I want to expose our families to the information in this book. Pam from Illinois

I will donate the second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to the Parent Library at our children's therapy clinic. We have many resources for parents. I anticipate a long waiting list to check this book out -- it's a very good resource! Barb from Illinois

I am a special education teacher and chair annual review meetings so I will use the second book at work. Sharon from New York

I am a tutor and an advocate for my grandson with special needs. I will use the books in my advocacy work.. Elaine from California

I will give the second book to my sister. Karen from Michigan

I plan to give both copies of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to our Down Syndrome Organization. One copy will go into our library for parents to check out. The other copy will go in our office with a label that says DO NOT REMOVE! Good books have a way of disappearing. Perhaps if we have two copies, we will always be able to provide the resources that families in our community need. Kathy from Nevada

I will give the second book to my friend who is about to go through due process. Donna from Wyoming

I am with The ARC of Orange County. We will give the second book to a family who desperately needs it! Thank you! Heidi from North Carolina

The free book will be donated to National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) in Montgomery County. Lorraine from Maryland

I will keep one copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law at home, and the other copy at the school for children with autism that I founded for my own child. Therese from Oregon

My second book will go to the special education teacher at my son's school. Susan from North Carolina

I plan to give my second book to Kids for Conductive Education, my son's private special needs school. I want the staff and parents to be able to reference your book when they deal with the public school bureaucracy. Peggy from California

What will I do with the second book? I will donate the second book to one of these groups: the Autism Society of Vermont, or the Vermont Parent Information Center, or Vermont Parent to Parent. I may even donate both copies! (I could still refer to it.) Thank you! Elizabeth from Vermont

I teach special education and will donate my second book to the school. Sheryl from California

I am on the board of Parents for Behaviorally Different Children, the state's advocacy organization. I intend to give the second book to them! Judi from New Mexico

I plan to donate the second book to the Step by Step Conductive Education Center for use by parents and staff. Step by Step is a private school that specializes in educating children with physical disabilities. Robert from California

I am the parent of a child with ADHD. I plan to give my second copy of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to the volunteer advocate who helped me so much at the last ARD. Ceila from Texas

I will donate both books. One book will go to the Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Office for Exceptional Family Member Program. The second book will go to a Parent Resource Center, possibly the one for Suffolk Public Schools. Suzanne from Virginia

I will give my second book to a good friend who has advocated for many families at no charge. I am really impressed with your book and look forward to my free books! Kristen from Pennsylvania

I will give my second book to a special education teacher in my school district. Cynthia from California