's defense of Autism families in Texas -Senate Hearing

[Guest guest]

" parents perceive a bias in the system "

" trying to work through the system, they either give up, or they

withdraw their children from public school ... "

Folks, this is not a defense of families facing private law firms who

are in it for profit. These law firms that litigate against us are

in it for a positive cash flow. They also want to have a lifestyle

that says " look at me " . This is acquiescing to the fact that there

is no hope for our families against private law firms who control

TEA. If Advocacy Inc can do no better than this in testimony before

Senators who present the citizens of Texas ... then I say Special

Education families should kneel. This is just a terrible defense of

Autism families who are desperate for educational teaching of their

loved ones.

Jeff Advocacy Inc:

When we look at where things really are with the special education

process in Texas right now, as I've said, I've seen some really good

things happening around the state. But unfortunately, I've seen some

things that aren't so good either. And I think because of that, what

happens is that parents perceive a bias in the system. Parents

believe that the system is stacked against them, that districts that

have an unlimited supply of money and time are able to control the

process, and they believe that their districts also control access to

the records and have access to attorneys that they don't have, and

all those sorts of things. And so I think that this perception,

although I don't think that's true everywhere, it becomes reality for

lots of parents. And so what happens is that parents get frustrated

and instead of trying to work through the system, they either give

up, or they withdraw their children from public school and either

homeschool or do something else, or they try to go through a system

that they don't understand and aren't equipped to handle and don't

have a very favorable result. So what do we do? Well the first

thing you'd have to look at is the way that the IDEA is set up. It

is definitely set up as a way that parents and educators can work

together, which means that you have to have communication, you have

to have trust, and you have to have a method for building on that

communication and that trust. What happens in my experience is that

because parents and educators have different points of view about

children and children's programming, inevitably, at times, there is

going to be differences of opinion. So the question is, what happens

when you get that difference of opinion. And unfortunately the IDEA

has a set of procedural safeguards that gives every parent the right

to a due process hearing where there's a difference of opinion. But

that very process that's guaranteed to a parent is the same thing

that tears down that communication and that trust and that

relationship that's so vital to the role of the way the IDEA is

supposed to work and the development of individual education plans.

***

So, it is the parents who need to change ... my God this in just a

terrible defense of our families before our Texas Senators.

Mark