The Wrightslaw Story: Pete and Pam Wright, Founders of Wrightslaw.com
In April 2023, Wrightslaw.com celebrated its 25th anniversary of providing accurate, reliable information about special education law and advocacy.
The Wrightslaw concept was born on November 9, 1993, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision for Pete Wright's client, Shannon Carter in Florence County v. Shannon Carter. See also Three Generations of Dyslexia at the Supreme Court and Shannon Carter: The Untold Story.
After "Carter," Pete was swamped with calls and letters requesting advice about special education rights and responsibilities. We needed to find or create a more efficient way to educate parents, teachers, and advocates about these issues.
For background, Pete Wright attended Washington, DC public schools from Kindergarten through the Eleventh grade. Initially, in his first year, DC Public Schools told his parents that he was mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, uneducable, and that nothing could be done about it. He was illiterate and could not read, write, spell, or do arithmetic.
His parents obtained a comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation from George Washington University. They found that he had "strephosymbolia" now known as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and also had, using current labels, ADHD. Pursuant to their recommendation, Pete received two years of intense, one-on-one remediation from Diana Hanbury King, using the Orton-Gillingham Approach.
Later, in 1967, between his junior and senior years at Randolph-Macon College, he began working with children with disabilities as a live-in house parent at a juvenile training school. Then he became a counselor, then a juvenile probation officer. During that time, he intended to become a psychologist and had 30 graduate hours in psychology.
He changed direction and went to law school in 1975. While in law school, he continued to work part-time in Virginia's juvenile justice system. In 1978, he began representing children with disabilities when he became a licensed attorney in Virginia.
His determination to help children grew out of his own educational experiences.
Pam Wright is a psychotherapist who has worked with children and families since the 1970s. Her training and experience in clinical psychology and clinical social work give her a unique perspective on parent-child-school dynamics, problems, and solutions. Pam has written extensively about raising, educating, and advocating for children with disabilities.
Pete and Pam Wright live at the end of a long road at Stingray Point on the Chesapeake Bay. You can learn more about Pete and Pam in Pete and Pam Wright: Up Close and Personal.
The Wrightslaw Story
Wrightslaw is an important part of our identity, so we include "Wrightslaw"
in the titles of our books.
In the late 1980s, their paths crossed when Pam became an expert witness in several of Pete's cases. They married in 1991 and, since then, have continued as a team working on behalf of children with disabilities.
They created the Wrightslaw website in 1998 and, using the "Majordomo" software, initiated an online newsletter known as "The Special Ed Advocate - a free newsletter about special education legal issues, cases, tactics and strategy, effective educational methods, and Internet links."
Using the website, they created the "Wrightslaw Advocacy Series," which consisted of free, downloadable monographs, such as the "Tactics and Strategy Manual" and "Representing the Special Education Child."
As they wrote monographs for the website and Pete continued to represent children, they created their first book, "Wrightslaw: Special Education Law." They wrote it for the general public, and, most specifically, for parents of children with disabilities. They wanted it to be inexpensive and printed in paperback form.
When they contacted prospective publishing companies, they were regularly advised that "there is no market for such a book. The market is limited to law schools and schools of education. Create it into an expensive hardback and we will reconsider."
Pete and Pam knew they were wrong. They knew that there was a market and a thirst for this information. The current demand, new subscribers to their newsletters, and the downloads of the monographs convinced them of that.
So they created their own publishing company, Harbor House Law Press, Inc. The law book was "self-published" in August 1999 and was marketed using the website and newsletter. Over 3,000 copies were sold in its first month. They have kept the price, 26 years later, still at $29.95.
Pete and Pam are co-authors of several books, including
Year in Review Series for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Surviving Due Process: Stephen Jeffers v. School Board
Pete and Pam Wright also helped to produce the award-winning
DVD, Surviving Due Process: Stephen Jeffers v. School Board in 2004.
In March 2020, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates honored Pete and Pam Wright with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Special Education Law and Advocacy Training Programs
Pete and Pam Wright were Adjunct Professors of Law at the William and Mary School of Law where they taught a course about special education law and advocacy and helped to create the Special Education Law Clinic at the Law School.
The Institute of Special Education Advocacy (ISEA)
Pete and Pam Wright were co-founders and faculty at the William & Mary Law School's Institute of Special Education Advocacy (ISEA).
Special Education Advocacy Summit (SEAS)
In 2023, 2024, and 2025, Pete and Pam Wright have presented at the Special Education Advocacy Summit (SEAS) hosted by St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas.
Pete and Pam continue to present Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Training Programs across the country and via Zoom. Learn more about Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Programs.
Rev: 8/25/2025
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