Special education and Section 504 advocates for Lansing Public School District families in Lansing.
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 Lansing schools are offering enough.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Lansing team ever sits down.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
No advocate in this directory lists Lansing 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 Bloomington, IL · works with Michigan schools
Founder & Advocate
Jade is a former special education teacher who has taught everything from pre-k all the way to transition classrooms with students up to age 21.
Virtual · based in Portland, OR · works with Michigan schools
Experienced Special Education Advocate & Former District Administrator
Chelsea Venegas, M.Ed., is the Founder & Special Education Advocate at Access & Bloom. A former special education teacher, school administrator, and district leader, she supports families with IEPs,…
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 30 virtual advocates who work with Michigan families
Lansing Public School District takes most Lansing addresses, but not all of them. Check yours before you send a letter, because a request that lands in the wrong district office does not start the evaluation clock at all.
An Ann Arbor parent group can tell you how the same district handled a case like yours, which is worth more to read than a policy page.
Confirm your child's district by address. Lansing addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
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.
If the Lansing team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
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.
The Michigan Department of Education oversees special education in Michigan. It does not license the advocates parents hire.
Check the references and not the letters after the name. Two calls to past clients settle it faster than any credential list.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Lansing. Anyone who does is selling you something.
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 Lansing cases, so read the service area on each of the 1 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Experience with Lansing Public School District matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Lansing, Michigan, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Lansing, Michigan?
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 an advocate for a routine annual review?
Bring somebody in when the file stops making sense to you. A routine review with services in place and progress data that moves usually does not need one.
What is the difference between an IEP advocate and a special education attorney?
Two different jobs. The advocate works the IEP process and the attorney works the legal one. If a hearing is already filed, you need the attorney.
Who runs special education for Lansing schools?
Lansing Public School District runs the IEP meetings for most Lansing students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
Are there free IEP advocates in Lansing?
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 Lansing.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Michigan rules apply in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Livonia, Sterling Heights and the other cities listed here, or see every Michigan advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Lansing and Ann Arbor. 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.
