Connecticut Autism Rights

[Guest guest]

This is an alert I received from the FEAT (Families for Early Autism

Treatment) newsletter, accessable at http://www.feat.org. It has been

my experience that you may not always be able to find the right

attorney who is licensed in your state, so the ability to bring in

the best attorney for your situation is critical.

, dad to , 3.5, apraxia and SDI

SUPPLEMENTAL BULLETIN TARGETED FOR CONNECTICUT READERS

ACTION ALERT -

Your Help Is Needed before Thursday..Connecticut Autism Rights

CT FEAT Friends:

CT FEAT has learned that on Thursday, January 10, the

Connecticut Bar Association is convening a meeting to consider

a " proposal requiring representation before administrative agencies

only by Connecticut lawyers. " CT FEAT urges you to send a fax or an

e-mail in opposition to this proposal.

Families of children with disabilities often have to search far

and wide to find counsel. This proposal would make it much more

difficult for Connecticut families like ours to have a good variety

of options for legal representation.

The IDEA statute guarantees that any party to a due process

hearing has the right to counsel and the assistance of other persons

who have special expertise in special education matters. This

proposal, if passed,would not only turn administrative proceedings in

Connecticut into some kind of private enclave or club, it would be

entirely contrary to Congress' IDEA mandate, and ultimately, it would

have the impact of depriving children of due process and the right to

counsel.

The CT FEAT Board of Directors will be registering its position

and has arranged for a member of the Connecticut Bar to attend the

meeting on our behalf. But it is very important that the Bar

Association receive a clear message that many parents oppose this

attempt to restrict the legal options of our families. Please take

the time to send a fax to (860) 223-4488 or an e-mail to

ctbar@.... Direct your communication to Nyle K. Davey, Chair

of the Administrative Law Section, and Winona W. Zimberlin, Chair of

the Education Law Committee.

It doesn't have to be a long letter, but it is important that

we get lots of them sent [see sample letter below]. Please act now

and, if possible, share your note with the members of this list.

Thank you for your support!

--Mike , Treasurer

Connecticut Families for Effective Autism Treatment

CT FEAT, Inc. www.ctfeat.org

Email to: ctbar@...

SAMPLE LETTER

K. Davey, Chair of the Administrative Law Section

Winona W. Zimberlin, Chair of the Education Law Committee

As a parent of a child with an autism spectrum disorder, I am

writing to express my strong opposition to any proposal that would

limit the rights of Connecticut parents to seek legal representation

from outside of Connecticut. It is my understanding that on

Thursday, January 10, the Connecticut Bar Association is convening a

meeting to consider a " proposal requiring representation before

administrative agencies only by Connecticut lawyers. "

When our family needed legal representation, we were fortunate

to find appropriate counsel from a member of the Connecticut Bar.

But families of children with disabilities often have to search far

and wide to find counsel with the right background to meet their

particular needs. This proposal would make it much more difficult for

Connecticut families to have a good variety of options for legal

representation.

I also believe that this proposal runs contrary to the spirit

of the IDEA laws that guarantee that any party to a due process

hearing has the right to counsel and the assistance of other persons

who have special expertise in special education matters. Many

families need to look outside of Connecticut to find the special

expertise they need.

I hope your group will take notice of parent opinion in this

matter. Many parents will be paying close attention to this issue and

working hard to keep our rights from being curtailed.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I would very much

appreciate being informed of any future deliberations about this

issue.

Sincerely,

The Rev. S.

(address, phone, e-mail listed)

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_________________________________________________________

[All FEAT organizations are wholly independent of one another. FEAT

(of Sacramento) provides readers with this bulletin for their

information only and is not necessarily an endorsement of such action

by FEAT.]

_______________________________________________________

Lenny Schafer, Editor@... • CALENDAR EVENTS@...

Guppy . PhD • Ron Sleith • Kay Stammers •

Decelie