EDSS 445 Special Education: Advocacy and the Law

3 semester hours

This course examines federal and California special education law with particular emphasis on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The first half of the course will involve reading of material that will give a legal and practical background to the specifics of the law, its purpose, and how it is implemented by school districts. This background will serve as a foundation for the students to effectively advocate (with proper supervision) for their clients during the clinical portion of the class. The overall goal of the course is to give students insight into how to work with families and school personnel and how to ultimately avoid the pitfalls of noncompliance. The second half of the course will be a supervised clinical experience where students will handle a special education case. This will include: interviewing potential clients, analysis of facts, and advocacy at an IEP. Depending on the facts of the case, students may also file a state complaint and prepare a case for mediation and/or for due process hearing.