New York City Public Schools staff run the IEP meetings in New York City. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
1 based in New York · 3 virtual advocates who work with New York schools
Advocates get hired after a meeting goes badly, rarely before the first one, which is why most of them start by reading a file that already carries a year of history in it.
New York City parents tend to call at one of two moments. The first is before an initial evaluation and the second is after a service quietly disappears from the plan.
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence a New York City team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
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 New York City as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of New York, and each card names the city.
Based in New York, NY
Special Education Advocate
Clara Liriano, M.S., is a Special Education Advocate and New York State Certified Special Education Teacher with more than 20 years of experience supporting children and individuals with…
These advocates are not based in New York. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Austin, TX · works with New York schools
Educational Advocate
Chelsea Venegas is a special education advocate serving families in Austin, TX.
Virtual · based in Hialeah, FL · works with New York schools
Advocate
Hello! I look forward to helping families and their students get the crucial support they need. I have varied experience working with families and educators at the state and local levels.
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with New York 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.
See all 25 virtual advocates who work with New York families
New York City Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most New York City students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Families who move between Brooklyn 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.
Once you sign consent for testing, a New York district has 60 calendar 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 New York City team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
New York gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No New York rule sets a separate deadline for answering a written request, so the federal reasonable-time standard is what applies. Missed deadlines are handled by the New York State Education Department, 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 New York City IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
Ask what training the advocate actually finished and who ran it. A one-day webinar and a two-year program both end in a certificate.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in New York City. Anyone who does is selling you something.
Advocates who have never seen the file cannot tell you what is missing from it. Send the records first and book the call second.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows New York rules is usually a better hire for New York City than a local one who does not.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in a New York City 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 New York City, New York, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in New York City, New York?
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 we work with an advocate who lives outside New York?
Yes, with one condition. The school has to agree to the meeting format, so put the request in writing before the date is set.
Who runs special education for New York City schools?
Most New York City families work with New York City Public Schools. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
What should a records request say?
A district can charge for copies. Asking to inspect the record in person costs nothing under federal rules, and it is usually faster than waiting for a copy set.
What documents does an advocate need from me?
Start with a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will build the same thing, so writing it yourself saves an hour of billed time.
Official New York links for parents in New York City.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same New York rules apply in Brooklyn, New York, Queens, Manhattan and the other cities listed here, or see every New York advocate.
You are not limited to advocates inside New York City. The closest listed office is in New York, and distance matters less than whether that person has worked a case in your district.
Free calls are common. Use them to compare people, not to collect advice for nothing.
