MEETING - Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County
MEETING - Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County
MEETING - Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County
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education & learning<br />
meeting the need:<br />
• Conducted over 100 educational<br />
trainings for providers <strong>of</strong> services<br />
to children with special needs<br />
• Held targeted training events for<br />
parents <strong>of</strong> children with special<br />
needs on the special education<br />
process<br />
• Collaborated with <strong>San</strong> <strong>Mateo</strong> <strong>County</strong><br />
Commission on Disabilities Youth<br />
and Family Committee to develop<br />
and deliver the first Self-Advocacy<br />
Training & Resource Fair, in English<br />
and Spanish, for families <strong>of</strong> children<br />
with special needs<br />
Marta was worried about her 5 year old son, Gabriel. Gabriel’s<br />
speech and cognitive behaviors seemed to be delayed and<br />
he was not making progress at school. She had taken Gabriel<br />
to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital for an assessment and his medical<br />
team recommended the school district provide Gabriel with an Individualized<br />
Education Program (IEP) with specific services to meet his special needs.<br />
As a result <strong>of</strong> trainings provided by <strong>Legal</strong> <strong>Aid</strong>’s Peninsula Family Advocacy<br />
Program on the topic <strong>of</strong> educational rights <strong>of</strong> children with disabilities,<br />
Gabriel’s medical providers at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital referred<br />
Marta to <strong>Legal</strong> <strong>Aid</strong> for help.<br />
When Marta came to <strong>Legal</strong> <strong>Aid</strong> she brought many documents she had<br />
received from the school district. Marta only spoke Spanish and could<br />
not read or write in any language, so she did not understand any <strong>of</strong> the<br />
documents. She only knew she loved her son and wanted to help him.<br />
Through a translator, the <strong>Legal</strong> <strong>Aid</strong> attorney explained to Marta that she<br />
and Gabriel had legal rights to help him access the educational services<br />
he needed. The attorney gave Marta a handbook about the IEP process<br />
written in Spanish, and helped Marta to identify a family member who<br />
could read through the booklet with her so she could learn about the<br />
IEP process. Marta was surprised that she and Gabriel had so many<br />
legal rights.<br />
While representing the family at the IEP meetings, the <strong>Legal</strong> <strong>Aid</strong> attorney<br />
explained to Marta at every step what was happening and why, not only<br />
serving as her advocate but also empowering Marta to have her own<br />
voice. At the final IEP meeting, Marta eloquently explained to the school<br />
district why Gabriel needed certain specialized services.<br />
As a result <strong>of</strong> <strong>Legal</strong> <strong>Aid</strong>’s help, the school agreed to give Gabriel the<br />
placement and services recommended by the specialists at Lucile Packard<br />
Children’s Hospital. Marta later reported that she was seeing her son<br />
make progress in school and, because she understood their rights, was<br />
no longer afraid to speak up and help her son get the educational services<br />
he needed.<br />
8
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