Northern Regional Center for Independent Living

Special Education Parent Center/Parent Training and Information Center

Special Education Parent Center (SEPC)

The mission of the SEPC is to provide parents of children with disabilities, and professionals who work with children with disabilities, information, trainings, resources, workshops, and strategies to promote advocacy and meaningful involvement with their children's education program. SEPC uses strength based and family specific training.

For further information about a particular topic, please call to speak with one of our parent training coordinators.

Technical Assistance Centers
NRCIL has recently been named by the New York State Education Department as one of 11 statewide Special Education Parent Technical Assistance Centers (TAC). These Centers will provide parents of children with disabilities with information, resources, and strategies to:

Promote their meaningful involvement in their children's education programs, including information regarding the special education process (referrals, individual evaluations and individualized education program development and transition planning)
Assist in understanding their children's disabilities
Promote early resolution of disputes between parents and school districts
Promote the use of resolution sessions and special education mediation
Assist in understanding procedural due process rights, including the right to impartial hearings and appeals and the State complaint process
Enhance parents' skills and levels of confidence to communicate effectively and work collaboratively with other schools and other stakeholders to advocate and actively participate in their children's education program

In order to promote the development of effective parental and family engagement statewide, the Parent Centers will:

Collaborate with public school districts on methods to facilitate positive parent involvement as a means of improving special education services and results for children with disabilities
Improve parent participation in the survey process to measure the percent of parents with a child receiving special education services who report that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities
Assist NYSED to identify and promote effective practices for positive parental involvement in the special education process

Parent Training & Information Center (PTIC)

The PTIC offers workshops and ongoing support to parents of children with disabilities. We help them become more effective advocates for their children, by providing them with the knowledge and skills to become more empowered.

We also provide trainings and workshops to professionals and others who work with children with disabilities and their families. Direct Advocacy is also provided as needed.

Trainings Offered:

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) overview
Advocacy Training Program
Disability-Specific Workshops
Working with the School
Parents Rights
Policies, Procedures, and Referrals
Transition Planning
Many more....

Your Rights as a Parent:

To be fully informed
To be notified in advance of all meetings
To request a new meeting day and time if you can't attend
To participate in decision making
To have all information explained
To have confidentiality maintained
To be able to review all school records
To be able to challenge and appeal the CSE/CPSE decisions

Working Through an Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Before an IEP meeting:

Obtain and review your child's past plans and evaluations.
What will support your child's growth and development? Keep in mind:

your child's strengths/weaknesses
your child's behavior plan, routine, and structure

Write down the things you would like to discuss and questions you have.
Invite someone to attend the meeting with you for support.
Talk with your child. Find out his/her feelings.
Remember to review your parental rights.

During an IEP meeting:

Adopt a positive attitude.
You or your support person should take notes at the meeting.
Take the time to ask your questions.
If something is not clear or you do not understand a term or acronym, ask for an explanation.
Have realistic expectations of what the school can and cannot do.

After an IEP meeting:

Communicate frequently with your child's team through a notebook, phone calls, or regular meetings.
Stay involved. Consider joining parent groups, volunteer in the school, attend special events.
Give positive feedback to the team when things work well for your child.
Continue to evaluate. If the IEP is not working well for your child, talk to the team. If there are still concerns, request in writing, to the district's chairperson, the need to adjust the program.
Keep informed, be an educated parent. Attend workshops and parent meetings.

Keeping Records:

Sort by topic (i.e. reports, assessments, Individual Education Program and a record of telephone calls).
Organize documents in chronological order.
Read all documents thoroughly and evaluate the information. Check for accuracy, completeness, and consistency. Make notes in the margins if you have questions.
Organize and store the documents in a safe and easy location.

Remember...

All caring adults that work with children want them to grow up and become Successful Adults. School districts have caring, dedicated educators that work with your children everyday to achieve that end. Making connections with these individuals on behalf of your children is vital for their success.

For more information, contact Charlie Merrick at 315-785-8703.