Hands & Voices has collaborated with American Society for Deaf Children, National Association for the Deaf, and Gallaudet University to create a Parent Advocacy App for families with deaf and hard of hearing children.
Families of deaf and hard of hearing children attend meetings—Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, 504 meetings, and other types of meetings.
What are these meetings about?
How can you be the best advocate for your child?
The Parent Advocacy app helps you to understand your child’s rights and to prepare you to work with the school in the best interest of your child. Here are the topics that are covered:
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- Introductory information – This includes videos and inspirations as well as highlighting the parts of the app.
IEP meetings – Understand what an IEP means and how you can participate in the meeting.
Section 504 plan meetings – Understand the meaning of this type of meeting and how it differs from an IEP meeting.
Other school meetings – Understand if your child might be eligible for a 504 plan or IEP. What advocacy principles can you use?
Fillable checklists and notes – These help you navigate the process of advocating for your child. As you proceed through the app, you can keep track of your progress. You can then add a series of notes to remind yourself of important points.
Common questions – Questions are listed that families tend to ask for each type of meeting.
Strategies – How can you approach advocating for your child? Six strategies are discussed.
Resources – Linked resources are available. There is also information about how to contact the parent and deaf organizational partners for assistance.
- Videos – These introduce you to the app and guide your next steps.
Download the App for iOS (iPhone)
