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The special education lawyers at Education Law Advocates understand how frustrating it can be to try to find individuals and organizations that can really help you get the services your child needs. We know that sometimes it can seem overwhelming.
Help is available! There are support groups of parents. There are resources in local, state and federal government. There are advocacy organizations for children with ADD and ADHD, such as CHADD, and parent groups for children with autism, learning disabilities, including dyslexia and other reading problems, blindness, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, Asperger’s, and many other disabilities.
There are private attorneys who can help you obtain all of the educational services that your child needs and is legally entitled to receive. There also may be a publicly-funded attorney who can help you. In addition, there are non-attorney advocates, some of whom are mothers who faced some of the same challenges with their own children that you now face. They may be able to help you get organized. They may be able to attend IEP and other school meetings with you, and to work with you in other ways.
The important thing to remember is this: You are not alone! There are no “magic bullets,” of course. Nothing can make achieving your goals for your child "easy." But help is available.
The table below sets forth just a few of the resources available to parents in southeastern Pennsylvania. Of course, we do not know you. We do not know your child. We do not know what it is you are trying to achieve. We do not know the "facts" about your situation. So we cannot "recommend" any of the individuals and organizations below as being the "right" one for you. Whether you decide to contact or seek additional information or help from any of them therefore is entirely up to you. We are simply trying to provide you with more information about potentially useful resources.
If you have any questions, call us or email us. We will be happy to try to help you.
We are confident we can help.
Education law is virtually all we do.
Call us now at 610.696.5006 or email us now!
Who Will Help Me?
| What kind of help do you need? | Person or Organization That Can Help |
| I need an 800 number to call for information on special education services, my legal rights, and IEP's. | Pa. Dept. of Education, Special Education "Consult-line," 800.879.2301; Parent Education Network, 800.522.5827 |
| My child has been waiting more than 30 days for a placement the school agrees is necessary but claims it cannot offer. | Cordero Support Office, 800.222.7372 |
| I need a non-lawyer, education advocate who can attend school meetings and/or help me obtain the special education services my child needs. | Free Advocates: The Arc of Chester County, Connie Mohn (610) 696-8090, cmohn@arcofchestercounty.org; Arc of Montgomery County, Michael Owens 610-265-4700,mowens@marcpa.org; Parent Involved Network, Elizabeth Starks, 610.279.8511, ext. 114 (Norristown) ; Autism Alliance of Chester County, Brenda Eaton, 484-237-5354, brendae@cciu.org; Child and Family Focus,Debbie Willett, 610.783.1788, dwillett@childandfamilyfocus.org, Ed McKenna, 610.783.1788, emckenna@childandfamilyfocus.org; Melissa Cotton,484-797-3370, mcotton@childandfamilyfocus.org; Martin Elks(Chester County) phone and e-mail 484.459.8854, martinelks@aol.com and Sandy Wadsworth (Delaware County) 484-494-5984 wadsworthss@hotmail.commailto:martinelks@AOL.COM Fee-Based Advocate: |
| I need to talk to a special education lawyer | Private attorneys: Charles Pugh, Michalisa M. Pugh, Education Law Advocates, P.C., 610.696.5006, Ed.Law@comcast.net (West Chester); Fred Stanczak, 215.340.5000 (Doylestown); Dennis McAndrews, 610.964.1505 (Wayne); Richard Chamovitz, 610.687.0703, rchamovitz@comcast.net (Wayne); David Kline, 888.729.2901, dkline@villarilaw.com (Conshohocken); Ira Fingles, ira@hinkle1.com (Yardley); Vivian Narehood, Amy Slody, Ann Martin 717.291.1700, vnarehood@gkh.com, aslody@gkh.com amartin@gkh.com (Lancaster); Dan Fennick, dfennick@acflaw.biz (York); Phillip Drumheiser, pdrumheiser@epix.net (Carlisle); Valerie Faden, vfaden@juno.com (Camp Hill); Jerry Tanenbaum, jtanenbaum@schnader.com, 856.482.5733 (Cherry Hill), 215.871.2000 (Philadelphia); Caryl Oberman, edlaw@caryloberman.com, 215.830.5025 (Willow Grove); Catherine Merino Reisman, creisman@mmwr.com, 215.772.7296 (Philadelphia) ; Amelia Carolla, acarolla@mmwr.com,856.488.7718 (Cherry Hill NJ); J. Joseph Grady, jgrady8821@aol.com 570-207-8100,(Scranton); Ilene B. Young 215-348-5448, ibyounglaw@verizon.net (Bucks); David J. Berney, 215 564-1030, djberney@berneylaw.com (Philadelphia); David Thalheimer,302-655-9915 david@thalheimer.com (Delaware State) Publicly Funded Organizations : Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP), Judith Gran, 215.627.7200; Disabilities Lawyer Referral Service of the Pa. Bar Association, 800.932.0311; Legal Clinic for the Disabled, Philadelphia, 215.587.3350, http://www.legalclinicforthedisabled.org/ ; Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1.877.429.5994. |
| I need information on evaluation and services for my infant, toddler or preschooler age 3-5 | Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Eastern PA Mark Ishman, mishman@state.pa.us 717.346.0042 or contact your local intermediate unit |
| I need information on the special education system, key laws, and available services | General websites (Pennsylvania): Pennsylvania state government websites: Federal government websites: |
| I want to read the law and regulations for myself. | Click here to go to the law links page. Other sources: Education Law Center, http://www.elc-pa.org/; http://www.findlaw.com/; http://www.edlaw.net/; http://www.parentednet.org/. |
| I think my child may be gifted. How can I obtain more information on evaluation and special services? | Go to www.pde.state.pa.us/gifted_ed/site for information, FAQ, access to regulations (Pa. Dept. of Education); http://www.elc-pa.org/ (for fact sheet on gifted education and contact persons). |
| I need information on and help with my child's specific condition | National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities-NICHCY, http://www.nichcy.org/ Information on all disabilities. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD): CHADD (National), said it http://www.chadd.org/; CHADD of Chester County, 610.429.4060 (Chester County Chapter Coordinator: Marie Paxson). Autism: Autism Society of America (Penna. Chapter), http://www.autism-society.org/. Brain Injury: Brain Injury Association: http://www.biausa.org/. Cerebral Palsy: United Cerebral Palsy Association, http://www.ucpa.org/; United Cerebral Palsy of PA, http://www.ucpofpa.org/. Deafness/Hearing Impaired: Parent Education Network, http://www.parentednet.org/; Center for Hearing and Deafness, http://www.chadinc.org/. Down Syndrome: Down Syndrome Health, http://www.ds-health.com/; Chester County Down Syndrome Interest Group, http://www.ccdsig.org/. Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia: Learning Disabilities Information and Resources, http://www.ldonline.org/; National Center for Learning Disabilities, http://www.ncld.org/. Mental Health: NAMI Chester County, http://chester.nami.org/ (Chester County Advocate: Marilyn Baker, 610.269.9739); Wraparound Services, Children's Behavioral Health Center, 610.383.1285, http://ibc-pa.org/ National Association of Persons with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health Needs, http://www.thenadd.org/. Mental Retardation: American Association on Mental Retardation, http://www.aamr.org/; Chester County Mental Health and Mental Retardation, 610.344.6265; The Arc of Pennsylvania, 800.692.7258 http://www.thearcpa.org/. Speech and Language: American Speech Hearing Association, 800.638.8255 http://www.asha.org/ ; Tourette Syndrome: Tourette Syndrome Assoc., http://www.patourettesyndrome.org/; Visual Impairment/Blindness: American Council for the Blind http://www.acb.org/; Pennsylvania Council for the Blind http://pcb1.org/ American Foundation for the Blind, http://www.afb.org/; |
Education Law Advocates, P.C. skillfully represents parents and their children in southeastern Pennsylvania, including the communities of West Chester, Lower Merion, Coatesville, Paoli, Downingtown and Upper Darby, and throughout the Philadelphia metro area, including Chester County, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Bucks County, Lancaster County and Berks County.
Education Law Advocates, P.C.
Special Education Lawyers
The Culbertson Building
with 590 Snyder Avenue
West Chester, Pennsylvania 19382
Voice: 610.696.5006
Fax: 610.696.6590
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