Parent’s Advocacy in the School (PAS) is a local
program based out of Toronto which aims to assist parents of children with
special needs.
“The goals of PAS
include actively networking with parents and others who are involved in the
education of children and youth with exceptionalities and creating
opportunities for parents, school personnel, and members of special needs
associations to share information and resources in order to work in greater
harmony on behalf of the children” (PAS About, 2015).
PAS also aims to inform concerned parents of existing
programs which support children with special needs (and all children for that
matter) so that children may feel a sense of inclusion and overall
satisfaction. In addition, they aim to
give parents a sense of empowerment regarding participation in their child’s
academic experience. Certain programs
that PAS associates with include the Special Education Advisory Committee,
Children’s Aid Society, and the Human Rights Legal Support Centre (see our
resources page for links to these programs).
Services that PAS offer for parents and their families
are numerous. Developing successful
Individual Education Plans, counselling parents/children regarding issues
related to school, and support for all steps in the Identification, Placement,
& Review Committee are but a few of the many services in which PAS provides
(PAS Services, 2015).
Teachers should inform parents of the support programs
that are available to them. PAS is one
such program which many parents and families could benefit from. For more information, including how one can
register for the services, please visit PAS’s official website at < http://www.parentsadvocacy.com/parentsadvocacy/advocacy-training >.
References
Parents Advocacy in the School. 2015. Retrieved
from http://www.parentsadvocacy.com/parentsadvocacy/advocacy-training