Advocates here work with Queens families and New York City Public Schools teams. Each profile lists a rate when the advocate shares one.
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.
The search usually starts the week a parent reads an evaluation report and cannot tell from it whether Queens 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 Queens 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 Queens 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 Inverness, IL · works with New York schools
Special Education Advocate
I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University and a Master’s of Education from DePaul University, with a dual certification in elementary and…
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.
Virtual · based in Austin, TX · works with New York schools
Special Education Advocate
Hi, My name is David Gonzales. Living in Austin, TX, but originally from Los Angeles, CA. I carry a masters degree in special education and currently practice as a sped teacher.
See all 25 virtual advocates who work with New York families
New York City Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Queens 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.
The deadline for finishing an initial evaluation in New York is 60 calendar 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 Queens meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
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.
The New York State Education Department oversees special education in New York. 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 Queens. 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 New York is not the same as taking Queens cases, so read the service area on each of the 1 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Advocates who take Brooklyn cases usually take these too. Say where you are in the first email so nobody wastes a week finding out.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Queens, New York, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Queens, New York?
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.
Who runs special education for Queens schools?
Most Queens 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.
Can I bring an advocate to a Section 504 meeting?
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.
What should a records request say?
Ask in writing and address it to the district rather than the front office. Schools have to let parents inspect the education records they keep, and inspection has to happen before the next IEP meeting.
What documents does an advocate need from me?
Bring the current IEP or 504 plan, the most recent evaluation report, the last two progress reports and any email where the school said no. An advocate who has those before the call can tell you what is missing in ten minutes.
Official New York links for parents in Queens.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same New York rules apply in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, New York City and the other cities listed here, or see every New York advocate.
You are not limited to advocates inside Queens. 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.
