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Early Childhood > Educational Advocacy

Educational Advocacy

This is an image of two adolescent individuals posing with "bunny ears" for the camera.

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, through The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh, part of the ACHIEVA family of organizations. 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; and 
  • 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 makes it possible for advocates to assist families in accessing the best possible educational services for children with disabilities from birth to 21 years of age. To further support these types of programs, please donate now.

For education advocacy and support, please call Paula Rule at 412-995-5000 ext. 435 in Allegheny County or Judy Pamer at 724-775-1602 ext. 16 in Beaver County. Advocacy tools and resources are available by clicking here.  The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh also offers educational workshops of various topics to support families. 

AchievaMents

ACHIEVA is western Pennsylvania’s largest provider of early intervention services.  Last year alone, ACHIEVA supported 2,600 children AND is a national leader in the field.