Virginia Spencer

I am a parent of adult children with disabilities. Moving from state to state, in their K-12 years, meant advocating from preschool to graduation. Despite state differences regarding IEP implementation, my focus was always consistent: remediate deficit skills and close the skills gap through careful planning. hile living in Illinois, I became a gifted education advocate due to our school district’s mandate to work with parents. Moreover, I differentiated instruction for exceptional students. Additionally, the Illinois state board of education trained me to accompany parents in their IEP meetings. Finally I could assist in IEP construction. On moving to Texas, educational services became a problem. There was no improvement in my middle son’s reading skills and he had meltdowns in the middle of class. My oldest son was informed that his accommodations no longer applied in Advanced Placement classes. Moreover, my daughter was struggling to submit school work even though she had a 504 plan. Because of this, in four short years, I initiated and experienced all dispute options available to parents of children with disabilities. For instance, Texas Education Agency and Office for Civil Rights complaints, a 504 Administrative hearing, Mediations and a Due Process Filing.