An educational advocate and parent of a hearing impaired child discusses her role. She cites the need for advocacy and briefly mentions problems with due process cases in Pennsylvania. She lists techniques for individual advocacy (such as an advocacy record of parent-school negotiations and school records) as well as for systemwide advocacy…

The workbook is intended to help people working on a community level to secure services for handicapped children. It assumes that the reader already has gathered data to determine gaps in the community's existing service system and that a list of needed services has been identified and prioritized. An introductory section examines what is meant by…

Today, in an era of taxpayer revolts, lack of clarity in values, and changing family structure, children need advocates in the political arena as well as in the schools. This pamphlet suggests that administrators are in an excellent position to defend the rights of children on all fronts. It focuses on what administrators have done and specific…

Written primarily for founders and coordinators of citizen advocacy (CA) programs for the developmentally disabled, the manual provides practical tips on how to establish and administer a CA program. Part 1 (six chapters) gives an overview of citizen advocacy and tells how to start a CA program--how to assess community support, find a sponsor,…

The booklet examines child care as a major resource for the prevention of child abuse, and is intended to bring child care and child abuse workers together. An introductory section on child abuse is followed by an update on the family, including historical perspectives and a case study illustrating cooperation of parents and day care staff. A…

The manual provides a curriculum for training volunteers in state protection and advocacy agencies, with particular emphasis on training volunteer advocates who have direct relationships with developmentally disabled people. The curriculum consists of five training sessions, each lasting about 2 1/2 hours. Following an introductory section with…

This fact sheet uses a question-and-answer format to address concerns that parents of children with a disability may have concerning their child's continuing eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Questions and answers explain the following topics: how children now qualify as "disabled" and the new standards; when Social…

This fact sheet, in Spanish, uses a question-and-answer format to address concerns that parents of children with a disability may have concerning their child's continuing eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Questions and answers explain the following topics: how children now qualify as "disabled" and the new standards;…

Designed for surrogate parents, social workers, and educational personnel, the handbook establishes a framework for the Maine Surrogate Parent Program, in which individuals are appointed to act as advocates for exceptional students in the special education decision making process. The following procedures are outlined: (1) identification of…

The article provides information to assist parent advocates in improving gifted education, suggesting that you should: know yourself and where you stand; know what you are facing; know the law; know who's who in the school system; and know when, where, and how to contact people in education. (JDD)

Based on the experiences of a child advocacy project in Tennessee entitled County Agents for Children, the guide -- over half of which consists of appendixes -- presents a general strategies and specific tasks for the child advocate volunteer or professional in developing community awareness. Specific ways to locate, organize, produce, distribute,…

Helping child abuse victims receive the mental health treatment they need is an important component of victim advocacy with children, and benefits both the children and the criminal justice system. As part of this work, the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina and the Center for Sexual…

Presents areas requiring counselor testimony in special education hearings. Discusses types of appeals proceedings including mediation, administrative, and judicial. Describes the role of the hearing officer and delineates hearing issues. Lists situations and behaviors that the counselor should be aware of during the hearing process. (RC)

Guidelines for promoting gifted education programs are offered, including being judicious in promotion efforts, developing support among different role groups, and strengthening support within role groups (e.g., teachers, parents, students, administrators, community leaders, policymakers, and business leaders). A cyclic model of advocacy stages is…

Presents advice from researches and practitioners on how schools can cultivate parent involvement that improves student achievement: Redefine parent involvement, train teachers to work with parents, reach out to parents, stay in touch, encourage parents to advocate for their children, and invest in family involvement. (Contains 10 online…