Helping Families Navigate Special Education in Texas

Explore special education resources to help your family understand your child's disability, navigate your rights under IDEA, and collaborate with schools to support special education services.

How can we help you today?

I think my child might need special education services

Learn how to request an evaluation and the evaluation process for special education

I'm new to special education

Learn about IDEA, Texas laws, and your child's rights.

Understanding my child's IEP

Learn about IEP requirements and how to prepare for an ARD Committee Meeting.

Options if I disagree with the ARD Committee

Learn more about the available state and federal dispute resolution options.

Explore Resource by Topic

Featured

ARD Committee Meetings

Behavior/Discipline

Consent to Evaluate

Determine Eligibility

Develop the IEP

Dispute Resolution

Dyslexia and Dysgraphia

Evaluation

Graduation

Implement the IEP

New to Texas

New to Special Education

Requesting an Evaluation

Transition

Understanding Parent Rights

Additional Resources

Transition

SSI: Medicaid Eligibility

Understand why SSI and Medicaid knowledge is key to supporting students with disabilities during their transition to adulthood.

Transition

Opening Doors to College

Short documentary showing real-life experiences of students with intellectual disabilities participating fully in college academics and campus life.

Transition

Overview of Transitional Living Services

This brief outlines the transitional services available to help foster care youth gain life skills, education, employment, and housing support.

Transition

Personal Networks

Highlights the value of building personal networks to ensure long-term support and improved outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

Transition

Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) Program

Helps Texas foster youth gain life skills, education, and support to transition from care to independent adult living.

Teacher and high school student walking in hallway

Transition

Self-Advocacy

Help your child build self-advocacy skills and prepare for IEP meetings to support their transition to adulthood.

Transition

Stories from the Classroom: Prepping for College

A story of how a student and her teacher team up to explore careers and prepare her to self-advocate for college and sports accommodations.

Transition

Coordinating Transition Services and Postsecondary Access

Explains the rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities preparing to attend postsecondary schools under federal law.

Explore Resources by Disability

Popular

All Disability Areas

Autism (AU)

Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH)

Deafblind (DB)

Developmental Delay (DD)

Emotional Disability (ED)

Intellectual Disability (ID)

Orthopedic Impairment (OI)

Other Health Impairment (OHI)

Specific Learning Disability (SLD)

Speech or Language Impairment (SI)

Visual Impairment (VI)

ARD Committee Meetings, New to Special Education

Family Video: ARD Meeting – During the Meeting (Spanish)

This video focuses on what happens during an ARD committee meeting. It explains the purpose of ARD meetings and guides families through the process, helping them understand meeting discussions, participate effectively, ask questions, and advocate for their child’s educational needs.