Why I Chose a Different Path in Advocacy

When I stepped into the world of special education advocacy, I had one big question on my mind:

How can I make this affordable for parents who need it most?

Advocates carry a lot of weight on their shoulders. I know this because I am one. We spend hours preparing for meetings, reviewing evaluations, crafting strategies, and trying to hold school districts accountable for doing what they should have been doing all along. The work is intense, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

And yet, after all that effort, sometimes we walk out of those meetings without the changes a student truly needs. Those are the moments that sit heavy on your heart because it’s not just about paperwork or policies. It’s about a child who didn’t ask for any of this. A child who just wants to feel successful in school, to fit in, and to feel like they belong.

What keeps me up at night are the parents who can’t afford help. The ones who sit in meetings alone, hearing words and acronyms that don’t make sense, being told everything is “fine” when their gut is screaming that it’s not. Those parents weigh on me because I’ve been that parent.

It’s been almost a year and a half since I finished my second COPAA course, SEAT 2.0 (Special Education Advocacy Training). That program gave me the tools to advocate for kids in a powerful, informed way. But as much as I love this work, I couldn’t shake the thought: What about the families who can’t pay $200 an hour for an advocate? Where do they turn?

For a while, I struggled with what to do. I’ve always wanted to charge less, maybe even a fraction of what others charge, but people warned me:

"Parents might think you’re not as good."

That never sat right with me. Why should affordability mean less quality? I’ve taken the same trainings as many of my colleagues. I’ve spent years learning, researching, and building my skills.

So I came up with a plan:

·         Focus on coaching and behind-the-scenes support instead of attending meetings

·         Keep my expenses low (no fancy website, no marketing budget, just word of mouth)

·         Handle my own billing and keep it simple

This way, I can do what I love without making it out of reach for the families who need it most.

My ideal client? Honestly, it’s me five years ago. A mom who knew something was wrong but didn’t have the words, the knowledge, or the confidence to push back. A mom who sat in meeting after meeting, being told everything was “fine” when it absolutely wasn’t.

I wish I had someone then to explain my rights, help me understand evaluations, and remind me I wasn’t crazy, that my instincts were right, and my child did need help.

That’s what I want to be for other parents now.

This isn’t about being the cheapest advocate. It’s about being accessible to the parents who need support the most. Because every child deserves a chance to succeed in school and every parent deserves to feel empowered to make that happen.

If you want to reach out or learn more about what I do, you can email me at njradvocacyllc@gmail.com.

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