Special education and Section 504 advocates for Dearborn City School District families in Dearborn.
1 based in Michigan · 3 virtual advocates who work with Michigan schools
An IEP advocate goes to school meetings with you and argues for services your child is not getting.
Most of the work happens before anyone sits down in a Dearborn conference room.
During a Dearborn IEP meeting an advocate writes down what the team agrees to and asks for it in the document before anyone leaves the room.
Dearborn City School District can charge for copies of a file. Asking to inspect the record in person instead costs nothing under federal rules.
No advocate in this directory lists Dearborn 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 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 Cumming, GA · works with Michigan schools
Founder
I raised three children with special needs, so I know what it’s like to sit in an IEP meeting and feel like no one is listening.
Virtual · based in Chicago, IL · works with Michigan schools
Virtual Special Education & IEP Consultant
I provide virtual IEP and special education support to families in Illinois and beyond. With experience as a Special Education Director, case manager, and special education teacher, I bring both…
See all 30 virtual advocates who work with Michigan families
31 public schools inside Dearborn belong to Dearborn City School District. 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.
District lines and city lines are not the same thing. A street can sit inside one city and be zoned to the district next door.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in Michigan, and the district has to answer inside 10 school days.
Keep every email. Most of what an advocate does with a Dearborn file is date-stamping what the school already told you.
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.
Attorneys are licensed. Advocates hold no license, and the difference matters most when a case gets close to a hearing, which is the point where the Dearborn district starts talking to its own lawyer.
Advocates who work Lansing and here see the same state rules twice a week. Repetition inside one state is the practice worth paying for.
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in Dearborn can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
What worked for a family in Lansing may not fit yours. Ask the advocate what is different about your file before you copy anyone.
Rates and openings decide most of this. An advocate who cannot meet before your Dearborn 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 Dearborn, Michigan, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in Dearborn?
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.
Do I need a lawyer or an advocate for my child?
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.
Can an advocate join an IEP meeting by video?
Yes, with one condition. The school has to agree to the meeting format, so put the request in writing before the date is set.
Which school district serves Dearborn, Michigan?
Dearborn City School District runs the IEP meetings for most Dearborn students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
Do advocates handle accommodation plans?
Yes. Section 504 work looks the same as IEP work, which is records, a written request and somebody in the room who knows what the school already agreed to.
Official Michigan links for parents in Dearborn.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Michigan rules apply in Lansing, Livonia, Ann Arbor, Troy and the other cities listed here, or see every Michigan advocate.
Search is free. You contact advocates directly.
Say the name of your school and Dearborn City School District in the first message. That is enough for an advocate to know whether they can take the case.
