Mission

COPAA’s mission is to be a national voice for special education rights and to promote excellence in advocacy. Our primary goal is to secure high quality educational services for children with disabilities.

COPAA is premised on the belief that the key to effective educational programs for children with disabilities is collaboration -as equals- by parents and educators. This is the premise of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, the federal statutes that guarantee children with disabilities a free, appropriate public education.

COPAA works to:

Individual members have contributed greatly, but it is the collective strength of the membership that has always kept COPAA strong, effective and forward moving.
Kathryn Dobel, COPAA Chair, 2001-02, Board Member, 1998-2003

• Provide timely and accurate information about student and parent special education rights.
• Provide comprehensive information about best practices in special education.
• Support advocates and attorneys in obtaining critical legal and educational information to pursue quality educational services and supports for students with disabilities.
• Facilitate member-to-member collaborative problem solving and information.
• Increase parent access to informed counsel and knowledgeable advocate and attorney representation.
• Provide parents advice on how to find special education advocates and special education attorneys to represent students with disabilities.
• File amicus curiae briefs in cases of national significance.
• Advocate for student and parent rights in Congress, the United States Department of Education, and the courts.
• And much more!!

COPAA Annual Report

COPAA Board of Directors 2010-2011 Annual Report (includes 2010 Financial Statement)

COPAA Board of Directors 2009-2010 COPAA Annual Report  (includes 2009 Financial Statement)