Wrightslaw - Press Release, News COPAA Conference

Second Annual COPAA Conference
San Diego, California
Jan. 29-31, 1999

The 2nd Annual Conference of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), will be held in San Diego, California, on January 29-31, 1999, the COPAA Board of Directors announced. COPAA is a not-for-profit organization established to improve legal resources for parents trying to secure an appropriate education for their child with disabilities. Membership is available to parents of children with disabilities, and any attorney or advocate representing them.

Originally proposed by The EDLAW Center, COPAA is a joint effort of the Center for Law and Education; Disabilities Rights and Education Defense Fund (DREDF); Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service; Protection & Advocacy, Inc. of California; Public Interest Law Corporation of Philadelphia (PILCOP); and Statewide Advocacy Network on Disabilities (STAND).

The 1999 program will consist of a mixture of mini-courses, workshops, general sessions and breakout sessions. Among the subjects to be covered, for both the new and experienced registrant, will be:

Drafting and Effective Use of Individual Education Programs (IEPs)

What You Need to Know About Tests and Evaluations

Nuts and Bolts of Small Office Legal Practice

Review of Important Recent Judicial Decisions

Analysis of New IDEA Regulations

Program details and speakers will be announced later.

Speakers at the First Annual Conference included:

Catherine L. Blakemore, Esq. Executive Director, California Protection & Advocacy, Inc.;

Matthew D. Cohen, Esq., Monahan & Cohen, Chicago, IL;

Kathryn E. Dobel, Esq., Berkeley, CA;

William L.E. Dussault, Esq., Seattle, WA;

Thomas P. Gilhool, Esq., and Judith A. Gran, PILCOP;

Beth Goodman, Esq., Feldesman, Tucker, Leifer, Fidell & Bank, Washington, DC;

Steward R. Hakola, Esq., Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service;

Howard Klebanoff, Esq., West Hartford, CT;

Diane Lipton, Esq., DREDF;

Deborah Mattison, Esq., Gordon, Silberman, Wiggins & Childs, Birmingham, AL;

Valerie Vanaman, Esq., Sherman Oaks, CA;

Peter W.D. Wright, Esq.; Deltaville, VA, and

S. James Rosenfeld, Esq., The EDLAW Center.

In addition to the previously identified speakers, the COPAA Board consists of:

Eileen Ordover, Esq., Center for Law and Education;

Donna Chewning, Parent Advocate, Christiansburg, VA;

Susan Dawson, Advocacy Unlimited, Agawam, MA;

Nancy Diehl, STEP Center, Greeneville, TN;

Joyce Lane Ginsburg, Parent Advocate, Bloomfield Hills, MI;

Patricia L. Howey, Parent Advocate, West Point, IN;

Sheryl Lilly, Parent Advocate, Irvine, CA; and

Nikole Whitehead, STAND, Tampa, FL.

Persons wishing to be notified about COPAA and conference developments may do so by email to <copaa@edlaw.net> or by visiting COPAA's web site at <http://www.edlaw.net/edcenter/copaa>. You can contact COPAA at (954) 966-4489 or (954) 966-8561 (fax) or by mail: COPAA
P.O. Box 81-7327,
Hollywood, FL 33081-0327.


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