If you are a parent of a child with special needs, you may think of questions that you are looking for answers to. It is fine to contact your child's Individualized Education Plan case coordinator or service providers, but sometimes you may disagree with the information provided or would like a "second opinion." You have every right to pursue the answer to your question or seek additional information. There is a service that is provided through the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services or OSERS.
How Can OSERS Help Parents of Children with Special Needs?
OSERS is an unknown resource of useful information to parents of children with special needs. It can also be used by students with special needs, special educators, and administrators. This service can provide information to parents in correlation to three main areas: special education, vocational rehabilitation (provides great information for postsecondary plans), and research. When you arrive at the OSERS website, you should click on the tab that says parents. From there the following eight features are: parents school box, tool kit for hispanic families, helping your child, answers to common questions, options for parents, federal student aid, news parents can use, and checklist & tips for parents.
How to Contact OSERS
To locate this information you may use the following website: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/index.HTML. When you check the eight features, there is still an option to contact OSERS staff to ask questions that you may be unable to locate the information on their site. All you need to do is click on the word "contact" on the features page. Then you would type your email address and question(s). The great thing about this service is that they will respond to your question within 5 business days. When they respond to your question, they will email you according to the email address that you provided to them. If they do not have a direct answer to your question, they will then let you know who to contact and how (i.e. they will provide an email address). This is a great resource to use that is not well known by many parents with children with special needs. They are committed to providing information and research that could ensure that all individuals with special needs have the opportunity to pursue their potential in the areas of school, work, and community.
