Rick Orr of Saegertown, Pa., knows exactly how complicated the IEP process can be. I spent 34 years as a music instructor, I now work with disabled children as a music therapist and I have a granddaughter who's blind. I guess you could say I've seen a few IEPs in my day. One of Orr's proudest accomplishments as a member of his local PAC was helping Kevin's school develop a Circle of Friends program, allowing both disabled and nondisabled students to share activities from parties to plays to Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games. But that's by no means the full extent of Orr's work with the parents' council.
Some parents bring medical representatives, fellow parents, friends or therapists.
These meetings can be pretty intimidating, which is why I also do advocacy. You don't have to do this alone. Doug Atkinson of Michigan says he was invited to join the PAC for his intermediate school district during an IEP team meeting regarding his autistic son. She's the one who did most of the early legwork, once our son was diagnosed. Our primary goals are to advocate for parents, and to act as a watchdog to ensure that the schools adhere to the district's special education plans.