Special Education Law with Lisa Hernandez [IEP 202]

It’s always interesting to see how things in special education law can be similar from state to state–and yet so different in many ways. Join us for an inside look with today’s guest. Lisa Hernandez is a special education attorney in New Jersey. She is a mom of three who came to this field because one of her children has disabilities. With a background in disability discrimination and employment discrimination, Lisa has been advocating for her child and for her friends’ children for over a decade. She handles special education litigation in NJ, a state which does not have a good reputation for inclusive education. Show Highlights: Why many parents shy away from inclusive education programs Lisa shares a 2007 case that highlights NJ’s poor reputation in special education How the attitude in court cases has become the drive to win litigation rather than to prevent it in the first place Why parents don’t know how to navigate the “legal arena” without the agency that the law intended How special education hearings compare and contrast in NJ and CA Why more school districts are filing for due process sooner than before How Lisa’s blog, ThinkSpEd, provides families with information and a deeper understanding about special education Why parents don’t know what they can ask for regarding their kids’ needs and evaluations Lisa shares a big win that happened with her own son after being told to “manage her expectations” Thank you for listening!  Links/Resources: Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday. If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, then please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show in https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1307157016 (Apple Podcasts), https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/inclusive-education-project-podcast/inclusive-education-project ( Stitcher Radio), or https://play.google.com/music/listen%23/ps/I23ctmblttqsbc4kagaccwm453a ( Goog