Empowering Latina Mothers as Advocates: A Case Study on Families Included in Receiving Better Special Education Services

Families of students with disabilities often face challenges navigating special education services in the schools as well as support services in the home or out-of-school settings, in addition to physical, mental, and financial demands. However, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families of children diagnosed with a disability face additional barriers, uncertainties, confusions, and challenges when navigating the world of disability and special education. To address these issues, programs providing targeted support to Latine families to increase their knowledge of their special education rights and develop their advocacy skills are needed to extend families’ impact on their children’s programing (Rios & Burke, 2021). The purpose of this study, therefore, was to conduct a case study designed to understand the Familias Incluidas en Recibiendo Mejor Educación Especial (Families Included in Receiving Better Special Education Services, FIRME) parent advocacy program and whether or how caregivers who completed the program continued to feel the program’s impact over time.