Knowing one's rights in special education is important for parents of a child with a disability. It may be especially difficult for immigrant parents to understand their rights and advocate for their child with a special need in the U.S. Policy Advisory-1 provided information regarding parents' rights that would be beneficial information to immigrant Korean parents for their child's IEP meetings. The parents' rights were derived from the Virginia Department of Education and the information is also available in the Korean language as well as in English.
You have the Rights (Korean)
You have the Rights (English)
Having an IEP meeting is a part of special education services for a child with a special need. Before going to an EIP meeting, it would be helpful for parents to understand how their child is identified as having a disability and needing special education and related services. Policy Advisory-2 suggested 10 brief steps to take prior to an actual IEP meeting. The information was cited from the website of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. And the English version is available from. The Korean translation is given for immigrant Korean parents in the U.S.
10 Steps before an IEP meeting (Korean)
10 Steps before an IEP meeting (English)
A majority of Korean-American parents have experienced difficulty in preparing for their child's IEP meeting. Policy Advisory-3 would provide a glance how the parents could prepare for an IEP meeting. First of all, they would be able to identify what their child's needs are from the self-questions adapted from: Collaborative Teams for Students with Severe Disabilities: Integrating Therapy and Educational Services, Beverly Rainforth, Ph.D., P.T., Cathy Macdonald, M.A., C.C.C./S.L.P. Examples of appropriate language follow. The language information could help parents express their opinions. Finally, parents could practice asking some specific questions (referred from Network News, February 2000) of professionals in order to advocate for their child with a special need.
Preparation for My Child's IEP