Agencies and Organizations

Seattle Public Schools, the largest K-12 school system in Washington state, has a deep commitment to every student’s journey—to ensure that each student will graduate ready for college, career and life.

• • Seattle Public Schools Special Education Department
  • IEP: Individualized Education Program
  • Student 504 Overview

The National PTA and Washington State PTA provide the following resources:

• National PTA Special Education Toolkit
• Washington State PTA Special Education focus area website

In 2006, the Washington State Legislature passed House Bill 3127 to establish the Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO) to reduce the opportunity gap by supporting families, students, educators, and communities in understanding the public K-12 education system and resolving concerns collaboratively. The legislature placed us within the Governor’s Office to ensure our independence from the public education system.

Washington Autism Alliance (WAA) extends access to healthcare, education and services for people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD’s) & related intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Washington State. WAA offers support, encouragement, training and can provide access to services and information individuals or caretakers need to succeed.

Open Doors for Multicultural Families (Open Doors or ODMF) provides culturally and linguistically relevant information, services, and programming to culturally and linguistically diverse families of persons with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The families we serve are often immigrants, refugees, and/or people of color.

The US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights serves student populations facing discrimination and the advocates and institutions promoting systemic solutions to civil rights problems.  An important responsibility is resolving complaints of discrimination. 

The Arc of King County promotes and protects the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities so they can live, learn, work and play in the community – improving the quality of life for us all. 

All the materials found on the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) Hub have been created and archived for Parent Centers around the country to help them provide support and services to the families they serve.

Approximately 143,000 eligible students in Washington state receive special education and related services. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) fulfills the requirements of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which ensures all children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education. 

Lives in the Balance advocates against punitive, exclusionary disciplinary practices in schools, families, and treatment facilities, and advocates for interventions that are effective, compassionate, proactive, and collaborative, including the model we disseminate, Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS). CPS is the evidence-based model of care that helps caregivers focus on identifying the problems that are causing concerning behaviors in kids and solving those problems collaboratively and proactively.

All the materials found on the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) Hub have been created and archived for Parent Centers around the country to help them provide support and services to the families they serve.