The 74 (OPINION)

As a parent of children with learning disabilities, a researcher studying family-school partnerships, and a board member of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to families describe their experiences navigating special education. The details vary, but one theme emerges repeatedly: Obtaining support often depends less on a child’s needs than on a parent’s ability to understand and navigate complex education laws and systems, ask the right questions, and persist when answers are unclear. Last winter, NCLD convened a focus group of Family Leadership Council members representing families across the country. Despite differences in geography and school systems, parents described remarkably similar experiences, including opaque processes, inconsistent communication, and a system that left them feeling responsible for navigating special education on behalf of their children. One participant described it as “playing a game I didn’t have the rules to.”