Special education and Section 504 advocates for Denver Public Schools families in Denver.
3 virtual advocates who work with Colorado schools
Hiring one is optional. Nothing in federal law requires a parent to bring an advocate to an IEP meeting.
The search usually starts the week a parent reads an evaluation report and cannot tell from it whether Denver schools are offering enough.
After the meeting the work is dull. The advocate reads the draft against the notes and sends a correction back the same week.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
These advocates are not based in Colorado. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Inverness, IL · works with Colorado schools
Special Education Advocate
I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University and a Master’s of Education from DePaul University, with a dual certification in elementary and…
Virtual · based in Springfield, MA · works with Colorado schools
N/A
My parent advocacy experience in special education began with students diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, assisting parents with IEP language, asking the appropriate questions to get the answers they…
Virtual · based in Buford, GA · works with Colorado schools
Georgia Special Education & IEP Advocate
Dr. Mary Jo Ray-Jewett is the owner and lead advocate of The IEP Guru, LLC, providing special education advocacy throughout Georgia.
See all 31 virtual advocates who work with Colorado families
130 public schools inside Denver belong to Denver Public Schools. Each one has its own case manager and its own backlog, and the answer you get about scheduling depends on which building your child attends.
Parents in Colorado Springs face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
Confirm your child's district by address. Denver addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
Federal law lets a state write its own evaluation deadline instead of using the national one. What Colorado actually requires is 60 calendar days.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Denver meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
Colorado gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Colorado rule sets a separate deadline for answering a written request, so the federal reasonable-time standard is what applies. Missed deadlines are handled by the Colorado Department of Education, Office of Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
The Colorado Department of Education oversees special education in Colorado. It does not license the advocates parents hire.
Membership in a professional body is not a licence. It usually means dues were paid and a code of conduct was signed.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Denver. Anyone who does is selling you something.
You sign, not the advocate. Consent and the plan itself both need a parent signature.
Video is normal now. 31 of the advocates listed for Denver work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Advocates who take Colorado Springs cases usually take these too. Say where you are in the first email so nobody wastes a week finding out.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Denver, Colorado, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much should I budget for one IEP meeting?
Rates run $75 to $250 per hour. What moves the number is experience, the type of case, and whether anyone has to drive to the meeting. Profiles here show the rate when the advocate publishes one.
Is it too late to bring in an advocate?
Most parents call after a school says no to testing, after goals repeat unchanged for a year, or a week before an annual review. Earlier is cheaper. An advocate hired the night before a meeting can only read so much.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Denver?
Denver Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Denver students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
How do I file a state special education complaint in Colorado?
The Colorado Department of Education takes written complaints from parents about missed deadlines and services never delivered. An advocate can prepare one. The advocate does not decide it and cannot make the district settle.
What should I bring to the IEP meeting?
Write down the two things you want changed and bring the paperwork that shows why. Meetings run long when nobody in the room has decided what the ask is.
Official Colorado links for parents in Denver.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Colorado rules apply in Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins, Lakewood and the other cities listed here, or see every Colorado advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Denver and Colorado Springs. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Keep a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will start by building the same thing.
