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Education

Disability Rights Arizona (DRAZ) works to ensure that students with disabilities have access to appropriate early intervention and special education services, and that necessary accommodations and academic adjustments are provided to students with disabilities pursuing post-secondary education.

Teacher communicating with student using sign language in elementary school

Disability Rights Arizona (DRAZ) works to ensure that students with disabilities have access to appropriate early intervention and special education services, and that necessary accommodations and academic adjustments are provided to students with disabilities pursuing post-secondary education.

DRAZ’s Education Team

DRAZ’s Education Team enforces the rights of students with disabilities. The Education Team focuses on issues like these:

  • Failure to identify a student as a child who needs special education, particularly when the student is at risk of being denied appropriate accommodations, placement, and services, or is at risk of long-term school discipline or removal;
  • Failure to implement special education and related services, particularly when the failure is due to arbitrary limitations on models of delivery of services, staffing, or policy;
  • Lack of appropriate and comprehensive transition services;
  • Denial of a free appropriate public education due to inappropriate or excessive discipline, restraint or seclusion, or other removal from the educational environment because of disability-related behaviors; and
  • Disability-related abuse, neglect, or harassment.

The Education Team advocates for students with disabilities in a variety of ways, including through direct client services, outreach and training to the community, monitoring and investigation activities in schools, and systemic work focused on improving the systems designed to support these students.

The Education Team may provide direct client assistance through a spectrum of services including:

  • The provision of targeted self-advocacy resources
  • Tailored technical assistance
  • Legal consultation
  • Representation at Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan meetings
  • Assistance in filing complaints with the Arizona Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, or the Arizona Attorney General’s Office
  • Representation at mediation or during informal settlement negotiations
  • In select cases, representation in due process hearings or litigation

See our Get Help page if you need legal assistance related to your or your child’s education needs.

Resource Tags
  • All
  • Dispute Resolution
  • IEPs/504 Plans
  • School Discipline
  • Graduation/Transition
  • Other
  • Postsecondary
  • School Choice

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Find Resources or Apply for Assistance

We are committed in providing accurate disability-related legal information and advice to more individuals who need our services and assistance. In addition to limited legal representation, our goal is to provide efficient, streamlined services to educate people with disabilities and their family members on how to enforce their legal rights through self advocacy.

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