Individual Education Program Guide for Parents in Spanish

Parents play an integral role in special education. Federal law establishes numerous protections for parents of students with disabilities throughout the special education processes that take place to ensure students’ needs are individually met. One such guarantee is the right for parents to be equal partners throughout special education decision making, namely the IEP process. The recent increase in the number of students identified as having a disability has resulted in a growing demand for parental resources about the manner in which they can be involved in special education processes. Special education laws and policies are often complex and difficult to navigate, especially for parents with no prior experience with the special education system. Monolingual parents face barriers that often lead to dissatisfaction with decision making outcomes regarding their child’s education. Spanish speaking families face additional barriers that hinder their ability to participate in Special education process. This project addresses the need for resources available in Spanish about the IEP process. The result of this project was the creation of an informational tool entitled Individual Education Program Guide for Parents in Spanish.