Advocates here work with Ann Arbor families and Ann Arbor Public Schools teams. Each profile lists a rate when the advocate shares one.
1 based in Michigan · 3 virtual advocates who work with Michigan schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
The search usually starts the week a parent reads an evaluation report and cannot tell from it whether Ann Arbor schools are offering enough.
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence an Ann Arbor team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
Request the full file in writing before you hire anyone. Schools have to give parents the education records they keep.
No advocate in this directory lists Ann Arbor as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Michigan, and each card names the city.
Based in Oscoda, MI
Special Education Advocate | Certified Neurodiversity Coach | Certified Neuropsychology Coach
Michelle Velazquez is a Special Education Advocate, Educational Consultant, Master IEP Coach®, and Certified Neurodiversity and Neuropsychology Coach.
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 Fairfax, VA · works with Michigan schools
Special Education Advocate
As the founder of The Table Advocacy and parent, I understand how important it is to feel heard, supported, and confident when advocating for your child.
See all 30 virtual advocates who work with Michigan families
Ann Arbor Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Ann Arbor students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Families who move between Lansing and here change districts, and the new team is not required to keep the old plan word for word.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
The deadline for finishing an initial evaluation in Michigan is 30 school days. Put that date on your calendar the day the paperwork goes in.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Ann Arbor meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
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.
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Ann Arbor IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
Membership in a professional body is not a licence. It usually means dues were paid and a code of conduct was signed.
Advocates charge for this. At $75 to $150 per hour, a standard IEP cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400, and that money does not come back if the answer is still no.
You sign, not the advocate. Consent and the plan itself both need a parent signature.
Being listed for Michigan is not the same as taking Ann Arbor cases, so read the service area on each of the 1 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in an Ann Arbor Public Schools meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Ann Arbor, Michigan, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Ann Arbor, Michigan?
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.
What is the difference between an IEP advocate and a special education attorney?
No. Advocates prepare for meetings, read the records and negotiate with the district. Attorneys file due process complaints and appear at hearings, which an advocate cannot do.
Can we work with an advocate who lives outside Michigan?
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.
Who runs special education for Ann Arbor schools?
Most Ann Arbor families work with Ann Arbor Public Schools. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
Are there free IEP advocates in Ann Arbor?
No public program assigns you a private advocate. The links under official resources on this page go to the state agency and to the complaint process, and both cost nothing to use.
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.
You are not limited to advocates inside Ann Arbor. The closest listed office is in Oscoda, and distance matters less than whether that person has worked a case in your district.
Have the most recent Ann Arbor Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
