How to "Guide to Advocacy"

When you call your legislator’s local office, immediately identify yourself as being a constituent of the legislator and explain that you would like to meet briefly with him or her to introduce yourself and familiarize him or her with your school program/agency. If your legislator is not available that day, ask to schedule a brief meeting with a staff member in their office or at your school or agency. Expect that they will only have time to meet with you for 15-20 minutes due to their busy schedules.

Your discussion with the office might be like this:

"Hi my name is ____. I represent the (name of school or agency). I would like to give you information about nonpublic schools/agencies, the students and families we serve, and the concerns we face. The school/agency I represent has (# of students) in grades/ages ____to____. The population that we serve is ____. Some unique features of our program are ____. Public schools/agencies and/or families place their students with us because we have expertise in ____.

Stories about specific students and activities always go over well.  Be prepared to share your compelling stories.

I'd like to invite you to tour our campus/agency at your earliest convenience so you can see first hand how we maxiimize the potential for individuals with disabilities and the role we play in special education. Thank you for your time.