We are the largest private advocacy organization in the country with a staff of 20+ highly trained IEP advocates. Advocates who walked a mile in your shoes. And who’ll fight for your kids as their own.
We are the largest private advocacy organization in
the country with a staff of 20+ highly trained IEP advocates. Advocates who walked a mile in your shoes. And who’ll fight for your kids as their own.
Pam Lindemann, an owner of a marketing agency in Orlando, Florida had never thought that one day she’d be fighting for the rights of the children to get the education and support they deserve.
But after Pam’s daughter was born with cerebral palsy, Pam knew that if she wanted her daughter to have the best shot in life, she had to learn more about special education.
Pam attended all the workshops, seminars and training she could find to be able to advocate for her daughter. Soon enough, Pam started helping other parents get IEPs for their children.
In 2003, the governor of Florida appointed Pam to a state policy board for early intervention and education where she became the voice of parents at the state level, helping the government understand what parents of the children with special needs in public schools struggle with and making sure those children get the support they need.
In 2009, Pam founded The IEP Advocate – the first ever organization of IEP advocates in Florida. She personally selects and trains new advocates that join her team.
We are the largest private advocacy organization in the country with a staff of 20+ highly trained IEP advocates. Advocates who walked a mile in your shoes. And who’ll fight for your kids as their own.
We are the largest private advocacy organization in the country with a staff of 20+ highly trained IEP advocates. Advocates who walked a mile in your shoes. And who’ll fight for your kids as their own.
As a parent, all you want for your child is to be happy, to reach their potential.
This means to learn to read, write and do math. Finish homework. Behave. Have friends and feel accepted.
Yet, if you’re reading this, things probably aren’t great.
You are lost, confused, and scared to death that your child is going to fail in school. And if they fail in school, they may fail in life.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
I want you to know that you have a lot of power over your child’s education. I want you to go into an IEP meeting confident, shoulders back, looking everyone in the eye and demanding that everyone looks at you with respect they deserve.
And I want you to walk out of the meeting feeling triumphant and say, “Damn! We did it!”
You can get the public school system to help your child, and we are going to help you with that.
We are not your usual advocates. In order to even be considered to join the IEP Advocate team, a candidate must complete a 40-hour training with our founder Pam Lindemann. And she can still decide that they don’t make the cut.
Every new advocate who joins the team must complete an intensive shadow program, attending about 25 hours of meetings alongside the most experienced advocates to learn from them in the field.
All members of our team attend obligatory weekly training. We also regularly review our recent cases so we can push ourselves to be the best advocates possible. And to do more for you and your child.
Imagine how different your next school meeting would be if you had one of these people in your corner.
Jenny Johnston
Senior Educational Advocate
Jenny is in a unique position to understand the pain and frustration of having a child who struggles and how aggravating it is when the school ignores you and doesn’t take your concerns seriously. Jenny believes that children aren’t born with disabilities but are born with superpowers and all we have to do is teach them how to work with their superpowers. She’s happy to share some of the superpowers you, as parents have, to take effective action to get what your child needs from the public school system.
Veronica Gonzalez
Senior Educational Advocate
Veronica’s journey to the IEP Advocate commenced while teaching students with special needs. In her 11 years as an educator, she learned the importance of ESE students needing to access their education in a much different way. And that a well-written IEP is a crucial factor in a student receiving the support that can help him or her learn and happily thrive in the school setting. She understands firsthand what a parent experiences trying to get help for their child. She discovered that the road to getting support is rougher than it should be. The IEP Advocate family smooths that path.
Damaris Lerch
Senior Educational Advocate
Damaris Lerch has been advocating for 7 years. She’s passionate about being the voice to support the needs of any and all children. Having adopted her oldest who’s on the spectrum with many challenges she represents all children as she would her very own. She’s here to empower every parent who feels unheard and not supported sufficiently. Her desire is that all children can thrive in a positive, happy environment, while cultivating lifelong skills to be productive adults for our future world.
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Senior Educational Advocate
A few years after her son’s diagnosis, she received the unexpected opportunity to become a Parent Advocate for a local non-profit organization in the 6th largest school district in the country. That opportunity was a turning point in her life and what later drove her to pursue a Master’s in Legal Studies. Advocating is Elizabeth’s passion, and she hopes to be able to share that passion and knowledge with her clients so together they can fight for the rights of our special needs children.
Meghan McCloud
Educational Advocate
Meghan is a new addition to The IEP Advocate team! She worked for years within the school setting as an educator and specialist for students with disabilities, and while she loved her work she knew she wanted to do something more. She finally made the jump, and became an advocate so she could use her knowledge to help families receive the supports that their child needs and deserves.
Jennifer Allan
Senior Educational Advocate
Jennifer was once in your shoes, reaching out to us to help advocate for her kids. By the time we were done with her case, she had learned so much that we asked her to join our team. When you first meet Jennifer, she may come across as sweet and quiet. But once she enters a school meeting, she turns into a fierce fighter and a master negotiator who can persuade the school to agree to suggestions they didn’t originally consider.
Ingrid Bimbo
Senior Educational Advocate
Throughout the years, the field of education has always been very dear to Ingrid. She started her career as a Regular Education Teacher in a middle school, then moved on as a Special Education Teacher, an Assistant Principal, Principal, and lastly a Special Education Administrator in the Public School System. After receiving her Masters’ Degree in Special Education, she realized that she most enjoyed working with the “special population” of children and their families. Becoming an Advocate fulfills the need to help others as it relates to education. Her past experiences have helped her to be the “BEST” Advocate for special needs children and families.
Courtney Gavares
Director of Advocate Services
Courtney had her first child who was born with severe hypotonia, among other various diagnosis. This caused for a shift in her attention and career choice to support overall health and development for her son as well as a lasting passion for advocacy. As a parent, she understands the struggles that parents face and has dedicated her life to assisting parents in navigating the schools and their student’s educational needs as the Director of Advocate Services with The IEP Advocate. Courtney assists families in the process for filing formal state complaints surrounding noncompliance issues related to IDEA in this role.
Ellen Kay
Senior Educational Advocate
Ellen has been working with children who learn differently for 40 years, both as a Special Education Teacher and an Advocate. She taught ESE for 30 years in Broward County. She has a special place in her heart for inclusive education, and believes in keeping children with their typical same age peers to the maximum extent appropriate for them. She loves helping families, and making sure that students get what they need to be successful in school. She enjoys educating parents on how to advocate and how to help their child succeed. Her philosophy is that the family, advocate, and school should all work together as a team whose goal is the child’s success!
With 25 years of experience and 1000+ school meetings attended, we know all the school district tricks. We know the law and are negotiation pros. The schools know our name and fear us. Because they know we’ll hold them accountable.
If the school says “no” and we don’t agree with them, we’ll figure out another way to get your child the support they need. We always have a Plan B, C or D, and don’t quit till we exhaust all possible options.
85% of our team members have children with special needs. For them, it’s not just a job. It’s their life’s purpose: to help children just like their own thrive. And to help parents just like them to finally sleep peacefully at night.
The IEP meeting I had at the school which included an Advocate was a COMPLETELY different experience from all the others preceding it. School staff was attentive and helpful, and the meeting was *very* well attended. All prior meetings felt as if they were attended begrudgingly by a very few pertinent staff members. I had felt like I was being treated like an idiot, and like my son was lazy and “just needed to do the work”. Once an IEP Advocate was there, it seemed all of a sudden that school staff had a lot of respect for me and for my son’s needs. An excellent plan was put in place for him which made the rest of that year very successful.
The IEP Advocate was the greatest blessing for my son. Speaking with Pam Lindemann and knowing that she understands what you are going through as a concerned parent really helped to prepare me for the 2nd meeting. Pam educated me on different sections of the IEP to make sure I understood certain things that were listed. The meeting was beyond EXCELLENT with Pam’s impeccable knowledge, advocating for our son. It was music to our ears and a song written in our hearts. We are truly grateful for The IEP Advocate and HIGHLY recommend them to any parent who needs assistance with getting the best plan for your child/children!!
I taught special education for 25 years. I had no idea how much the schools were supposed to help kids who were struggling. I thought I knew, but I didn’t. Toward the end of my teaching career, I really started to see changes in how the schools were reacting to children who needed help. In short, it seemed to me they were working harder to avoid giving services than actually trying to help the child. It was sickening. You opened my eyes to so much.
To work with Pam Lindemann and her team has been one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. My son has had an IEP since kindergarten and not until switching counties this last year did I feel the pain of having my son struggle because his needs were not met and my questions never truly answered. I had my first IEP review meeting with the school and my advocate completely dominated the meeting and we got what we wanted and more. Never again will I attend any of those meetings without my advocate and Pam’s guidance. They are a true blessing! Even if you are at a “good” school, I suggest you attend those meetings with a knowledgeable advocate from Pam’s team. You are only doing your child and their future a favor!
I have fought the school for two years to get my daughter an IEP. The school always said she wouldn’t qualify, but she kept getting worse. I have only taken two sessions of the course so far, but you have changed my life and my daughter’s life. I did everything outlined in the training to get the school to evaluate my daughter. I wrote the letter exactly how you recommended. I emailed the principal exactly how you said, and I left the exact phone messages you suggested. The result? The principal called me within two hours after getting my letter and phone messages and asked me to come to the school the next morning to sign the paperwork to get the IEP process started. Incredible! I wish I could hug you right now!
I took this course because my 3-year-old son was just diagnosed with autism. I think it’s going to be a long haul getting him through school, and I don’t know anything about special education. I knew I would learn some things because, after all, I started with nothing. But I didn’t expect to learn so much! It was incredibly eye-opening, and even though I’ve only had a couple IEP meetings, I could relate to some of the stories Pam Lindemann told of how schools try to get out of providing help. Thank you so much, Pam. Now, I’m much better prepared to help my son.
The meeting went PERFECT! I really felt a true difference having your advocate there at the meeting. I was treated much differently, with more respect, by the school staff than in the previous meeting. In this meeting I was well heard, and the team truly considered my daughter’s problems. I could not have asked for a better outcome, and my money was well spent and worth it! Thank you so much.
Pam Lindemann’s team took the time to understand my child’s needs. Their advocate who worked with me has empowered me with knowledge, strength, and unwavering determination to make sure that my child has the opportunity to have her voice heard, as well as a fighting chance to get what she needs to be successful. Pam’s team is the last straw that had to be drawn to help cease any doubts that I had done everything that I could, and left no stone unturned. The peace of mind and success of my child is worth every penny!
Before taking this course, I would sit in my son’s IEP meetings and say nothing. I would come out of the meeting and cry. Last week was my first IEP meeting since taking the course, and I went in prepared. Every time the school said “no,” I challenged them. I asked a lot of questions and didn’t back down. And I got everything I asked for! After the meeting my husband said to me, “Who are you? I’ve never seen you like this before! You were amazing!” This course made all the difference. I’m finally not afraid to go into an IEP meeting.
Pam Lindemann is beyond the best in town. She will advocate for your child as if he/she was her own. Her honest opinion will blow your mind. Knowledge, kind, strong, quick, etc. I can’t say enough about this business! Worth every penny! She knows the system, she knows everyone, she knows what is best, and she is wise!! I am so grateful I found Pam and her extraordinary team!!! Thank you so much for everything you have done!
Our advocate was incredible! She helped us get more from the school during our initial IEP meeting. She also gave us great advice beforehand along with Pam. We also received great recommendations for resources and grants. They are truly there to help you, as the public school system obviously has their own selfish agenda. I’m looking forward to our next meeting with The IEP Advocate and the school and would not dream of doing a school meeting without an advocate after going through this.
Oh, my gosh! In the first session alone, I learned more from Pam Lindemann about special education than I did working 10 years in the public school system as a teacher. I had no idea how many rights parents have. Now, I’m ashamed to say that the school district I worked for lied to me about so many things just so they didn’t have to pay for services for kids who needed them. I wish I had this information years ago. I could have helped so many more kids.
Contact
The IEP Advocate, Inc.
P.O. Box 618308
Orlando, FL 32861
Contact
The IEP Advocate, Inc.
P.O. Box 618308
Orlando, Florida 32861
Call: 407-342-9836
Email: info@theiepadvocate.com
Hours:
Mon – Fri: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun: Closed
Easily make a payment online using our secure payment portal.
Easily make a payment online using our secure payment portal.