Educational Advocacy

ACHIEVA’s Educational Advocacy department provides support for children and students from birth to 21 who are eligible for specialized education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act including Early Intervention (Early Childhood) Services. Our goal is to help students with disabilities progress on their educational goals.

Services include:

• Providing information to families about their rights under IDEA, educating families about promising practices in education, and teaching families how to be an effective advocate for their child.
• Providing technical assistance to early intervention providers and school districts to design and deliver supports and services which will increase the level of success in educating students with disabilities.
• Monitoring the quality of education programs and services provided to students with disabilities.
• Attending pre-hearing conferences, mediation or due process hearings if the family has been unsuccessful in obtaining a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for a student.

"Truly, I’m not sure what I would have done without my Educational Advocate! My advocate has been my friend, my advisor, and at times my voice", stated a parent.

ACHIEVA was honored by the Education Law Center-PA (ELC) at their Thirty Year Anniversary Celebration as “committed collaborators who have helped ensure fairness and quality in Pennsylvania’s public schools, particularly for children with disabilities”.

Advocacy services are able to be offered as a result of private gifts. For example, The Arthur and Ellen Ludwig Educational Endowment was established in 2006 in loving memory of their son Carl. The endowment assists families in accessing the best possible educational services for children with mental retardation from birth to 21 years of age. To further support these types of programs, please donate now.

For education assistance and support, please contact Paula Lackore Rule, Amy Guthrie, or Kurt Kondrich through our intake line at 412-995-5000 ext. 486 or, for Beaver County support, please call Judy Pamer at 724 775 1602 ext. 16. Advocacy tools and resources are available on ACHIEVA’s web site. Click here for a resource directory.  Arc of Greater Pittsburgh also offers educational workshops of various topics to support families.  For our most recent brochure, click here.