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SPED Attorney • Advocate | Ashley Barlow

@thecollaborativeiep

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💪 Empowering Parents + Educators
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Join us Monday Oct 12th for this month’s Parent Support Group with guest speaker Ashley Barlow of the @thecollaborativeiep podcast!

Parents it’s the start of the school year and IEP season is upon us. So you’re not gonna want to miss this one! Ashley Barlow will be speaking on “The Collaborative IEP Framework”.

Ashley Barlow, JD, is a special education attorney, advocate, educator, author, and host of The Collaborative IEP Podcast. Now in her 21st year practicing law and 30th year working in education, Ashley helps families and school teams better understand special education law while developing practical, collaborative strategies to improve student outcomes. Her work focuses heavily on effective IEP development, inclusion, communication, and helping teams create educational programs in which students with disabilities can meaningfully participate and belong.

TAP the LINK to REGISTER and we’ll see you this Monday Oct 12th 7:30-8:30pm on Zoom!

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Send this to someone wondering how kids can access Occupational Therapy in America 🇺🇸🙌🏾

This video gives just a general overview of how kids can access Occupational Therapy in America. Accessing OT can vary significantly depending on a child’s individual medical, developmental, financial, insurance, educational, and family circumstances, and there’s so much more that couldn’t fit into one Reel.

Accounts mentioned: @aotainc @destinyhuff_iep_advocate @otschoolhouse @familyvoicesnational @spanadvocacy @drdannettetaylor @courtneyburnettadvocate @thecollaborativeiep @the_iep_table @theadvocate.slp

#occupationaltherapist #pediatricot #childdevelopment #audhd #ot

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The issues are complex, but one truth remains clear: disabled people belong in our schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities—without having to earn or prove their worth.

I love that truth from the Lucky Few podcast. For anyone in the disability space who wants an update on the state of legislation and policy related to disability right now, this Lucky Few podcast episode offers a very helpful overview:
336: What We Need to Know About Disability Policy Right Now w/ Ashley Barlow

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There are conversations happening right now about policies that could make it harder for disabled people—for Macy and August—to access the supports they need to live at home and be meaningful members of their communities.

We need to pay attention.
We need to care.
We need to act.

Not only because of the very real consequences these policies could have for disabled people and their families, consequences many families are already experiencing in real time, but because of what these policies communicate about the value of disabled lives.

These chilling, horrific photos, taken at Willowbrook Institution in 1972, show us that there was a time, not that long ago, when people with disabilities were not seen as valued members of their communities, cast aside as nonhuman.

Families were often told that institutionalization was their only option. Not because they didn’t love their children, but because society had built a world where there was no other choice.

When we strip services from disabled people and their families, we strip away choice.

Without those supports, living at home can become impossible, and institutional care can once again become the default—not because anyone wants it, but because alternatives have been made inaccessible.

We fought for decades to reject the idea that disabled people belong in institutions.

It is shameful that we are still fighting this fight.

I see Macy and August’s faces in every person pictured at Willowbrook, and it makes me sick to my stomach.

Then I look at the lives they live now.

Full.
Abundant.
Connected.

They are meaningful members of our family and community. Members of the human race. Our world is better because Macy and August and people are disabilities are in it.

Disabled people are not burdens our communities must accommodate. They are assets to our families, communities, and world.

It is hard to believe we are still having these conversations.

But we are.

So pay attention. Then act.

For real, actionable steps, listen to this week’s episode of @theluckyfewpod with Ashley Barlow from @thecollaborativeiep

This is not the time to look away.

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Explore special-education school options for your child before your next IEP meeting.

🔗 Visit iepguide.org — tap the link in our bio

#idea #iepcalifornia #iepteam #specialeducationadvocates #specialeducationlawyer

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Ask a special education attorney! Can a school test for dyslexia? What is the process that a parent should follow? #dyslexiaondemand #dyslexiaeducation #dyslexia #thecollaborativeiep

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Ask a special education attorney! What are a parent’s options when a school won’t diagnose dyslexia?#dyslexiaondemand #dyslexiaeducation #dyslexiaawareness #thecollaborativeiep

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What should I do if my child is not getting meaningful instruction? #dyslexiaondemand #dyslexiaeducation #dyslexia #dyslexiaawareness #thecollaborativeiep

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If you haven’t joined the 6th Annual Special Education & Advocacy Conference hosted by @thecollaborativeiep please do so.

Conference kicked off this morning at 8:00 am!! Our owner, Shemica S. Allen’s, presentation covers futures planning, self-determination skills & life after high school. Plus she has also provided some excellent resources!

The virtual conference is February 18th-19th starting at 8:00 am EST on both days.

See link below for an all access pass.

https://community.thecollaborativeiep.com/checkout/aap-2026?affiliate_code=7a8d30

#personalizedlearningsolutions #helpingparents #helpingfamilies #studentsuccessisourfocus #iep504plansupportgroup  🚌📓✏️📚

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Learning differences aren’t problems to fix. They’re differences to understand, support, and honor. The way we speak about students with learning differences sets the course for whether they will be ostracized or included and valued.

When we change our language:
We reduce stigma.
We increase belonging.
We protect identity safety.

Learn more about bringing strength-based language to your classroom — Comment “STRENGTH-BASED” for our free educator guide, “Strength-based Language in Classrooms: A Powerful Shift to Combat Deficit Thinking” 🔗🔗

We are here to support you. 💜
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#traumainformed #traumainformedteacher #traumainformedclassrooms #traumainformedpractice #strengthbasedlearning #ieps #individualizededucationprogram #studentadvocate #neurodivergent #neurodivergentstrengths #supportingneurodiversity #iepadvocate #iephelp

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if this story feels familiar, i’m speaking about school avoidance through a neurodiversity affirming lens at the 6th Annual Special Education & Advocacy Conference.

it’s a free conference with so many thoughtful sessions on school, special education, regulation, and advocacy — all designed to support families navigating real-life challenges.

comment “SEAC” for the link to join

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Our owner is participating in the 6th Annual Special Education & Advocacy Conference hosted by @thecollaborativeiep.

She will be speaking on futures planning, self-determination skills & life after though school.

The virtual conference is February 18th-19th starting at 8:00 am EST on both days.

See links below to attend for free or to have access at a later time with an all access pass.

https://ashleybarlowco.com/conference-2026

Early Bird-https://community.thecollaborativeiep.com/checkout/aap-early-bird-2026?affiliate_code=7a8d30

Or

https://community.thecollaborativeiep.com/checkout/aap-2026?affiliate_code=7a8d30

#personalizedlearningsolutions #helpingparents #helpingfamilies #studentsuccessisourfocus #iep504plansupportgroup  🚌📓✏️📚

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