COSpedLaw: Special Education Attorneys and Advocates

You are your child's first and best advocate.  You are certainly capable of representing your child in an education meeting.  However, these proceedings are set up to shift the balance of power from the parent to the district, and they can be overwhelming, uncomfortable and filled with jargon and acronyms that you will need to know.

There are advocates across Colorado who can assist you and we are happy to refer you to them if you desire.  Please know that if your matter cannot be resolved directly with the school and you need to file a state or due process complaint to get the relief you seek, you will need a lawyer to assist you. The State of Colorado does not allow advocates to represent you in these proceedings.

We are well-versed in your rights and your child's entitlements, as well as the implications of every phase of the process from identification to service delivery and reporting.  We welcome the opportunity to advocate for your child at his/her or their next education meeting or, if necessary, represent them in administrative hearing or court proceeding.

It depends.  You child is not best served by a "one size fits all" approach to education, and neither is our advocacy.  Our fee schedule is contingent upon the level of advocacy and/or legal services your require, as well as where you are in the process.  Please contact us to discuss your particular circumstances.

There are several federal laws designed to educate your children and protect them from discrimination in school and public places; however, they each take a different approach to answering this question.  The "purpose" of each of these laws is different.  Moreover, the case law that interprets these definitions is constantly changing.  

The IDEA identifies 14 "disability classifications" which include intellectual disabilities, hearing impairments, speech or language impairments, visual impairments, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, and other health impairments such as ADD/ADHD and or specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia.  Please note that special education and related services are only available to those students who, "by reason thereof [the disability] needs special education and related services".  Even if services are not available under the IDEA, your student may be entitled to protection under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the ADA.

You should note that children identified as "gifted" under Colorado's Exceptional Children's Educational Act are also entitled to special protection under the laws.  These protections extend to "twice-exceptional (2e)" children, or children identified as both gifted and a child with a disability.