Advocates here work with Ann Arbor families and Ann Arbor Public Schools teams. Each profile lists a rate when the advocate shares one.
3 virtual advocates who work with Michigan schools
The job is plain. An advocate knows what services the school owes your child and asks for them in writing.
Most of the work happens before anyone sits down in an Ann Arbor conference room.
During an Ann Arbor IEP meeting an advocate writes down what the team agrees to and asks for it in the document before anyone leaves the room.
Records live with Ann Arbor Public Schools, not with the front office of one building, and a request addressed to the district gets a faster answer than one that is not.
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 San Diego, CA · works with Michigan schools
Special Education Advocate
At the Sanford Autism Advocacy Group (SAAG), we are a small but mighty special education consulting group with an emphasis on Autism and IEPs.
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 Kansas City, MO · works with Michigan schools
Navigate Special Education with Clarity and Confidence - Guiding Families. Building Futures.
Dr. Diane is a special education advocate and founder of Steppingstone Services, LLC. She holds a Ph.D.
See all 25 virtual advocates who work with Michigan families
30 public schools inside Ann Arbor belong to Ann Arbor 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.
Buildings do not fund services and districts do. Ask which office is deciding before you spend a meeting arguing with the wrong one.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
Once you sign consent for testing, a Michigan district has 30 school days to finish an initial evaluation, and that clock does not stop because a case manager is out or the file went to the wrong building.
Ask the Ann Arbor team for the evaluation report before the meeting, not at it, because nobody reads a long report accurately while the rest of the team waits.
Michigan gives a school district 30 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 10 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Michigan does not license or certify special education advocates. Anyone in Ann Arbor can print a card with the word advocate on it.
Advocates who work Lansing and here see the same state rules twice a week. Repetition inside one state is the practice worth paying for.
Hiring an advocate does not pause a deadline or undo a meeting that already happened. The work starts from wherever the Ann Arbor file sits today.
Ann Arbor Public Schools answers to the parent on the paperwork, so an advocate can draft the letter and you still have to be the one who sends it.
Rates and openings decide most of this. An advocate who cannot meet before your Ann Arbor meeting date is the wrong hire, and the second-best advocate who is free this month usually beats the best one who is not.
Ask for two references from cases like yours. Somebody who cannot produce one has not worked many.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Ann Arbor, Michigan, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in Ann Arbor?
Most advocates on this directory charge $75 to $150 per hour. A standard cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400. Travel and extra meetings cost more.
Can an advocate join an IEP meeting by video?
Yes. IDEA, the federal special education law, requires parent participation in IEP meetings and allows alternative means such as video or phone when you and the school agree. Your advocate does not have to live nearby.
Which school district serves Ann Arbor, Michigan?
Most of the city sits inside Ann Arbor Public Schools. The district writes the plan and holds the special education budget, which is why a complaint about a missed service names the district and not the school.
Do advocates handle accommodation plans?
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.
Is there low cost IEP help anywhere?
Free guidance exists. Parent centers, disability rights agencies and local parent groups all give it, and none of them will attend the meeting as your representative.
Official Michigan links for parents in Ann Arbor.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Michigan rules apply in Lansing, Sterling Heights, Dearborn, Warren and the other cities listed here, or see every Michigan advocate.
Start with two calls, not six. Ask each advocate what they would do first with an Ann Arbor file, and hire the one whose answer is specific enough that you could write it down as a task.
Say the name of your school and Ann Arbor Public Schools in the first message. That is enough for an advocate to know whether they can take the case.
