A Parent Advocacy Success Story

April Dixon remembers being very hesitant to speak up at Committee on Special Education meetings for her son, Jacob. When she was given an opportunity to speak, she would just tell a cute story about Jacob, and then the professionals at the table would discuss his education. She didn’t realize that she had the right to contribute to the discussion and express her opinion. “They decided. I agreed,” she says.

When Jacob, who has autism, was ready to go to middle school, April had ideas about what he needed, but she didn’t know how to ask. Someone at the local Urban League told her about The Advocacy Center. She called and was connected with a lay advocate from The Advocacy Center’s Independent Parent Advocacy Network. Lay advocates attend a thirty-two hour course on special education advocacy. When they finish, they volunteer to assist other families in navigating the special education maze. April’s lay advocate gave her information about her rights and supported her.

Soon after that, April attended lay advocacy classes herself. “It was liberating to find out I had rights,” she says. The course’s session on “developing a vision for your child” was a turning point for April. It forced her to think about the future and to commit to taking a more proactive role in planning for Jacob. April enjoyed passing on the information and confidence she had gained to other parents. She began working as a Parent Resource Specialist for The Advocacy Center, reaching out to parents in the city of Rochester.

April now works as a Parent Education Specialist for The Advocacy Center’s Family-School Partnership. She conducts workshops to help families and schools work together effectively. She also edits the Roundtable, an electronic newsletter. Her column, “April’s Alternative Dish,” is a favorite with readers. April also serves on the Rochester City School District’s Parent Council.

April credits The Advocacy Center’s lay advocacy classes with helping her to build the knowledge and skills to advocate effectively for her son and help other parents as well. She is one of 695 parents from thirteen counties who have participated in the program. As a group, they have assisted thousands of other families with special education advocacy. Lay advocacy is a component of the Independent Parent Advocacy Network, originally funded as a demonstration project by the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council and currently funded by Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities Service Office.