I was drawn to the topic of special education through my involvement with Bear Buddies, a mentoring program that matches Bowdoin students with local children with mental and physical disabilities. Bear Buddies is not an academic program; rather, its goal is to foster positive social interactions between children. However, in talking with parents at pick-up and drop-off, they frequently thank me for running the program, commenting that there are not enough programs supporting the special needs community. One day, I spoke at length with a parent who stressed the difficulty she was having finding the right classroom for her daughter. Other parents expressed similar concerns. In talking with these parents, I have noticed that many of their children go to the same schools and that many of the families are very close. They support each other. This reminded me of a small-scale version of the grassroots organizing we have learned about in Urban Education, where families navigating difficult systems band together to overcome them.

My research on the process of accessing special education—and the conflict that exists within it—has led me to seven main conclusions:

1. “There is a history of segregation, low expectations, and limited academic instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities, and this conceptual path to access reveals areas of progress as well as areas for intervention and further research” (Timberlake, 2016, p. 206). Families of children with disabilities have had to fight for their rights for a long time. It was not until recently that a public education was even guaranteed for children with disabilities—and this only came about through hard work from parents. The historical context of special education is important because it underscores how rooted the system is in parental activism.
2. “Parents of children with disabilities face unique challenges” (Collier, 2015, p. 118). Parents of children with disabilities are not necessarily experts in the medical, legal, or educational policies behind accessing services—they are just parents who care about their children. Teachers can support parents navigating the process by reaching out to them and including them in professional conversations (Collier, 2015).
3. “Good intentions are often not enough” (Lake, 2000, p. 249). Teachers and parents both have good intentions, but conflict still exists when making joint educational decisions for children with disabilities. Many barriers exist that prevent parents from being as involved as they would like to be in the process, including feeling undervalued by teachers, lacking expertise, and a lack of mutual trust (Stanley, 2015). Teachers can work to increase parental involvement by eliminating these barriers.
4. It’s better for everyone when the parents are involved in the process. “Studies have shown a strong association between the degree of parent involvement and children’s positive social, emo­tional, and academic growth” (Collier, 2015, p. 118). Children greatly benefit when their parents help make decisions for their education—and they aren’t the only ones. Parents feel more valued when their voices are heard. And, parental involvement also gives teachers more support and guidance in educating their students (Collier, 2015).
5. Parents are not aware of their options. “Parents reported that it was difficult to know whether services offered for their children were really appropriate without adequate knowledge. Even when parents paid to secure advocates or attorneys, they questioned their ability to judge which private service providers were reputable” (Lake, 2000, p. 249). And, even when they are aware of their legal options, most parents don’t have the time and money to devote to actually challenging a school’s decision (Lake, 2000).
6. Grassroots organizations bring parents (and sometimes teachers) together to support each other educationally, legally, and emotionally, as well as to fight for structural changes in their districts. By using each other as sources of knowledge and support, parents can more effectively advocate for their children. This “power-in-numbers” mindset is especially relevant in urban areas, where there are higher concentrations of individuals for support. Activism can occur on every level, from individual families pushing for greater rights for their child to whole communities coming together to protest a district’s decision (Stanley, 2015).
7. There is more work to be done. Organizations like the ones outlined in this website are important, and there are not enough of them. Both the parents I have met through Bear Buddies and the grassroots activists I communicated with over Facebook emphasized the sheer lack of resources available to individuals navigating the special education process. This fight is important and continued. As one parent summarized: “Everyone… needs to be recognized as an individual with individual strengths and abilities. Unless that happens, the educational system is failing in every way” (Lake, 2000, p. 247).