According to federal law, parents of children with disabilities are required to play an active role in their child’s education (Collier, 2015). But navigating the special education process is complicated. Ideally, schools and families both have good intentions and want the best for every child. However, conflicts arise when a school’s vision for a child does not align with what the parents want.

One major source of conflict comes from not understanding the special education process. Parents often lack knowledge of their rights and the options available to their children, and therefore tend to accept a professional’s decision without knowing where to begin advocating for something different (Stanley, 2015). In addition, power imbalances are common, with parents feeling overlooked by trained professionals. Stanley (2015) found that in particular, both minority families and families who live in poverty describe problems arising from not being heard throughout the process. Professionals may be more up to date on legal issues and services available, but parents know their children best; collaboration is necessary.

Activism takes many forms. Individually, parents advocate for their own children during IEP meetings and throughout the course of their child’s education by fighting for what they want for their children. There is also power in numbers; groups of parents joining forces to fight for change through presentations to the principal or school board can be very effective (Stanley, 2015).

Many grassroots organizations exist to bring families, teachers, advocates, and disability experts together in search of the best educational outcomes for every child. These grassroots organizations serve many purposes, including connecting families for support and friendship, connecting parents to advocates, informing parents of their legal rights and helping them navigate the IEP process, fighting for structural changes in schools in their districts, etc.

In my search, I observed that despite the great need for advocacy in special education, there are not many grassroots organizations fighting for this issue. The ones that do exist are relatively new and often small-scale. In an effort to find out more about them, I reached out to each of the grassroots organizations listed on this website and heard back from some of them. Almost everyone I communicated with told me that they feel alone in this fight and that there are not enough organizations working for these issues. There is more work to be done.