Sponsor(s): Illinois Institute for Continuing Education
Date: 05/08/2012
Time: 09:00AM - 04:15PM
Location: UBS Tower 1 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago , IL 60604
Speakers: Multiple (see below)

The Illinois Institute for Continuing Education has generously donated 5 spaces in this program to the CBF Legal Aid Academy.  Interested legal aid attorneys should register below.  

 

Education, Disability & the Law

This course is designed to provide information about special education disability rights laws in Illinois that exist to cover services to children with disabilities. Participants will discuss real world issues and get important information on how these laws are implemented in practice and, sometimes, circumvented. The course is intended to help attorneys navigate the maze of rules, regulations, procedures and policies within the system and be able to communicate realistic expectations to clients.

The course will not focus on successes or failures of the system, but will highlight the reasons for positives and negatives and how the attorney can build on this knowledge to improve the client’s opportunity of better outcomes when institutional culture, policies, and procedures present roadblocks.

Moderator: Amy L. Zimmerman, Health & Disability Advocates, Chicago

9:00 – 10:00 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
What’s the difference between a 504 plan and an IEP and which is better for your client? This section will educate you about what schools are required to provide under these Acts, the scope and breadth of both Acts, and the advantages and limitations of each Act. In addition, the presentation includes a discussion of “least restrictive environment” issues, recent case law arising out of both Acts, and the definition of “disability.”
Mark C. Weber, DePaul University College of Law, Chicago

10:00 – 10:15 Break

10:15 – 11:15 Procedures & Guidelines for Evaluation & Eligibility
Get answers to your questions about evaluation and eligibility for services. How are evaluations of the student conducted? How is the evaluation used to determine services? Who is authorized to conduct evaluations? How can you effectively handle disagreements arising from evaluation results? What is Response to Intervention (RTI)?
Michael O’Connor, Mauk & O’Connor, LLP, Chicago

11:15 – 12:00 Interview with the Parents or Guardian
Learn what facts you need to secure for the parent/guardian interview, where to file complaints, and the complaint procedure, including ADR issues.

12:00 – 1:15 Lunch On Your Own

1:15 – 2:15 Conflicts Between Educational Needs & School Policy and Procedure
Help your clients address problems with how schools respond to behavior issues. Where there is a desire to suspend, expel or move the student into a segregated alternative school, what can you do to address this in the student’s best interest? This session will also review issues where the criminal courts become involved due to a student’s behavior that might be triggered by a behavioral disability and how to deal with school-based punishments such as suspension and or expulsion for students with special needs.
Sara E. Mauk, Mauk & O’Connor, LLP, Chicago

2:15 – 2:30 Break

2:30 – 3:15 Transition Services for Children 14 Years and Older
This session addresses the transition from elementary to secondary school and the impact of the child’s maturity on the process and delivery of services.
Purvi Patel, Equal Justice Works Fellow, Health & Disability Advocates, Chicago

3:15 – 4:15 Ethical Issues in Special Education Law
Matt Cohen, Matt Cohen & Associates, Chicago
(1.0 Hour Professional Responsibility Credit approved)

 

**If you have questions about registering for the spaces donated to the CBF Legal Aid Academy, please contact Kelly Tautges at ktautges@chicagobar.org

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