The Disability Rights Arizona (DRAZ), formerly Arizona Center for Disability Law (ACDL), provides special education legal advocacy and resources to hundreds of Arizonans each year. In an effort to reach students with disabilities and their families before the start of the new school year, DRAZ will be offering a limited number of over-the-phone “coaching” sessions to callers who have questions about special education. This new initiative provides an opportunity for families of students with disabilities to talk directly with DRAZ attorneys and senior advocates about special education issues.
These sessions are designed for callers with discrete special education questions. Examples of the types of issues appropriate for this service include:
- Help to understand a particular special education document;
- Learning how to request a special education evaluation;
- Taking steps to prepare for an IEP or 504 plan meeting; or
- Going over methods to dispute a special education decision made by a school.
Individuals interested in these coaching sessions should call DRAZ during normal intake hours (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 9am-1pm), describe their issue, and ask the intake specialist if their question is one appropriate for a special education coaching session. If it is, the intake specialist will work with the caller to complete the intake and schedule a coaching session with an advocate or attorney.
Like all services provided by DRAZ, these coaching sessions will be available in the caller’s native language. DRAZ will also provide reasonable accommodations and auxiliary aids and services for effective communication with reasonable advance notice.
In addition to these special education coaching sessions, DRAZ will also be helping families prepare for back-to-school with a series of special education posts on our website. DRAZ will be posting a special education tip-of-the-day for each day in August. Keep an eye on our News page for more!
