Inclusion in Action
Illustration by Ansellia Kulikku. Source image: The Accessible Icon Project. In 1975, Congress enacted what is now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a law granting all children the right to a “free appropriate public education” in the “least restrictive environment.” The statute’s implications are profound: students with a range of disabilities are entitled to specially designed services, and, as much as possible, they must be educated in mainstream classrooms. About 6.5 million children across the US now receive special-education services.
Under the IDEA, parents, school staff, and other professionals work together to craft an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each eligible student. An IEP defines a student’s learning needs and the supports the school will minister, providing parents a legal basis to advocate for their children. If a dispute arises, parents may seek mediation or request a due-process hearing.
However, for many low-income and minority families, these protections remain abstractions. Families with little formal education and low English-language skills often struggle to self advocate within the bureaucracy, especially if they can’t afford a lawyer. According to a 2015 study published by the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, parents earning more than $100,000 are more likely than their poorer peers to pursue litigation on behalf of a child on the autism spectrum.
For forty years, Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) has worked to
