Moving to Florida From a Different State? Get your child’s IEP reviewed before you relocate and before you have your 1st IEP meeting in Florida.
Moving to Florida From a Different State? Get your child’s IEP reviewed before you relocate and before you have your 1st IEP meeting in Florida.
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.
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!
Meghan McCloud
Senior 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
For the first time in years of IEP meetings, we felt like we were heard & able to make the necessary progress to update the IEP. There is absolutely NO way we would have been able to get the changes made without the expertise & intensity of our IEP Advocate. This is the first meeting I haven’t cried during because I knew he was getting everything he needed. I would recommend this for ANYONE with autistic children regardless of difficulties with the school. Worth absolutely every penny. Just can’t say enough good things. It is like a dark cloud that has been hanging over is gone and my son is looking forward to succeeding. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
The IEP Advocate represented my son in a professional caring way, as if it was their own child. I was lost to all the terminology with the school officials, however, Pam Lindemann explained everything to me and made sure that my son was going to receive the proper education that he has not been receiving. It is like a dark cloud that has been hanging over is gone and my son is looking forward to succeeding. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
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.
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
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Easily make a payment online using our secure payment portal.