SEVA (Special Education Volunteer Advocates): Building Family Capacity and Creating Agreement through Value-Add Collaboration

The SPAN Parent Advocacy Network (PTI) partners with NJ’s Disability Rights and Council on Developmental Disabilities in SEVA (Special Education Volunteer Advocates).  Diverse trained family leaders help underserved families prepare for, engage in, and debrief from, IEP meetings focused on inclusion and transition.  The SEVA builds underserved parents’ capacity (knowledge, skills, and confidence), and helps IEP team professionals partner more effectively with families.  Partners will discuss our collaboration, its impact to date, and how it can be replicated in other states.