Special education and Section 504 advocates who work with Michigan families. Compare profiles and contact them directly.
8 virtual advocates who work with Michigan schools
Nobody is required to bring one. Federal law lets a parent walk into an IEP meeting alone.
Detroit and Grand Rapids sit in different districts under one state rulebook.
After the meeting the work is dull. The draft comes back and somebody has to read it against the notes and send a correction the same week.
Read the report a second time. What is missing usually turns up on that pass and not the first one.
These advocates are not based in Michigan. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Los Angeles, CA · works with Michigan schools
Strategic Special Education Advocate
I combine the precision of a Columbia Law attorney with over a decade of special education leadership to help Los Angeles families navigate the IEP process with clarity, confidence, and results.
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with Michigan schools
Founder
I’m Russell Lloyd, founder of YourChild.org, author, mentor, and special education advocate. I review the record, find the gaps, build the strategy, prepare the parent, and lead IEP meetings.
Virtual · based in Wesley Chapel, FL · works with Michigan schools
Special Education Advocate
With 24 years of experience in the K-12 sector, I serves as a Student Support Specialist specializing in academic and behavioral ESE services.
Virtual · based in Leesburg, FL · works with Michigan schools
CEO IEP Advocate Espanol
Evelyn Roman-Santos is a bilingual Special Education Advocate with 30 years of experience as a School Social Worker.
Virtual · based in Newcastle, OK · works with Michigan schools
Special Education Advocate - IEP Consultant
Former special education teacher and educational advocate with experience on both sides of the IEP table.
Virtual · based in Las Vegas, NV · works with Michigan schools
IEP Consultant
Hey there! I’ve been a special education teacher for nearly a decade, so helping unique learners thrive is truly my life’s work.
Virtual · based in Atlanta, GA · works with Michigan schools
Special Education Advocate
My name is Jalani Traxler and I have loved teaching sense I myself was a student with an IEP receiving my own accommodations in elementary school.
Virtual · based in Lamar, CO · works with Michigan schools
Special Education Advocate
Jordan Kemp is a special education advocate serving families in Lamar, CO.
The Michigan Department of Education publishes a complaint form and a mailing address for parents who need one.
Autism accounts for 24,010 students counted under IDEA here.
Once you sign consent for testing, a district in Michigan has 30 school days to finish an initial evaluation, and that clock keeps running while a case manager is out.
Ask for the evaluation report before the meeting rather than at it, because nobody reads a long report accurately while the rest of the team waits.
Michigan takes a written, signed complaint by mail, fax, email, or hand delivery. Email it to MDE-MIComplaints@michigan.gov or fax 517-241-7141. Mail goes to the Office of Special Education, State Complaints, 608 West Allegan, P.O. Box 30008, Lansing, MI 48909. Anonymous and verbal complaints are not accepted.
Decision timeline
Michigan has 60 calendar days from the day the complaint is filed, and it is not filed until the Office of Special Education holds every required piece, so a missing signature pushes the date back. Email or fax that lands after 5 p.m. is dated the next business day.
Attorneys are licensed. Advocates in Michigan are not, and the difference matters most when a case gets close to a hearing and the district starts talking to its own lawyer.
A certificate says nothing about Detroit. Ask what the advocate has filed with a district here and what came back.
An advocate cannot make a district agree. What moves a district is the record you build, and a good advocate spends more hours on the record than in the room.
What worked for a family in Detroit may not fit yours, and the first thing worth asking an advocate is what is different about your file.
Video is normal now. 23 of the advocates listed for Michigan work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Ask for two references from cases like yours. Somebody who cannot produce one has not worked many.
Federal rules put no distance requirement on who a parent may bring. Your advocate does not have to live in Michigan.
Distance changes the cost and not the law. Somebody working remotely bills for reading and for the meeting, and never for the drive.
How it works
Find Parent Advocates is a free directory, not a referral service. You browse profiles, compare rates and reviews, and contact the advocate you choose. We do not assign anyone to you.
Browse
Read the profiles on this page. Rates, service area and case history are the three worth comparing.
Contact
Send the same two questions to everybody, which are the rate and the first date they can meet.
Hire
You hire the advocate directly. The agreement is between the two of you.
Work together
Send the file, take the prep call and go into the meeting with a written list.
Find Parent Advocates is not a party to your contractual relationship with the advocate. We are not responsible for the fees or services provided.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Michigan, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What is the hourly rate for a parent advocate?
Flat fees are common for a single meeting and hourly billing is common for everything else. Many advocates give a free first call. Nobody bills you through this site, so ask each person how they invoice.
Is an IEP advocate a type of lawyer?
An advocate is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice or file a lawsuit. What an advocate can do is build the written record a lawyer would need later.
How long can a school take to test my child?
The rule here is 30 school days. It covers the evaluation only. Writing the plan after a child is found eligible is a separate step with its own timing.
Can an advocate help with a 504 plan and not an IEP?
Yes, and the rules differ slightly. Section 504 does not spell out who may attend the way IDEA does, so ask the school in writing before the meeting and keep the answer.
Which plan covers therapy and specialized instruction?
An IEP is the stronger document because it carries goals, service minutes and progress reporting. Section 504 plans are faster to write and easier for a district to agree to.
Who investigates a school for missing an IEP deadline?
The Michigan 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.
These links connect you to your state education agency and complaint options. Advocates on this page can also explain what each step means for your child.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
