Based in Austin, TX
Chelsea Venegas
Educational Advocate
Chelsea Venegas is a special education advocate serving families in Austin, TX.
- From $175 per hour
- Meets by video or phone
IEP advocates in Dallas, Texas
Dallas ISD staff run the IEP meetings in Dallas. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
5 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
What an IEP advocate is
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 Dallas schools are offering enough.
Before and after a Dallas IEP meeting
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 Dallas team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
Read the evaluation report twice. The second read is where the missing service usually shows up.
Advocates based in Texas
No advocate in this directory lists Dallas as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Texas, and each card names the city.
Based in Austin, TX
David Gonzales
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.
- From $50 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Based in Midland, TX
Kate Keenan
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
- From $75 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual advocates who work with Texas families
These advocates are not based in Texas. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Kansas City, MO · works with Texas schools
Diane Plunkett
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.
- Behavioral & Emotional, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Early Childhood
- From $150 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Leonardtown, MD · works with Texas schools
Douglas Hubscher
Special Education Advocate
Douglas Hubscher is the Founder and President of Kids Are First, LLC, a special education advocacy firm dedicated to helping families navigate the IEP and 504 process with confidence, clarity, and…
- Anxiety, ADHD / Attention, Autism Spectrum, Behavioral & Emotional
- From $1 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Leesburg, FL · works with Texas schools
Evelyn Roman-Santos
CEO IEP Advocate Espanol
Evelyn Roman-Santos is a bilingual Special Education Advocate with 30 years of experience as a School Social Worker.
- From $120 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
The district behind a Dallas IEP
Dallas ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Dallas students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Families who move between Fort Worth and here change districts, and the new team is not required to keep the old plan word for word.
- District Dallas ISD
- County Dallas County
- Public schools inside Dallas 222
- Size Dallas is the 3rd-largest city in Texas by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate San Antonio, TX
Confirm your child's district by address. Dallas addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
What the clock is here
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in Texas, and the district has to answer inside 15 school days.
Put the request in writing and date it. An email to the Dallas school counts as writing.
Texas gives a school district 45 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 15 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Texas Education Agency, Office of Special Populations and Student Supports, which takes written state complaints from parents.
No license, no required certification
No state license exists for special education advocacy. No federal agency issues one either, and no exam stands between a person and the title.
Check the references and not the letters after the name. Two calls to past clients settle it faster than any credential list.
Where advocacy stops
Advocates do not decide complaints. The Texas Education Agency does, and only after someone files one in writing.
You sign, not the advocate. Consent and the plan itself both need a parent signature.
Who serves Dallas today
Being listed for Texas is not the same as taking Dallas cases, so read the service area on each of the 5 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Experience with Dallas ISD matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Dallas IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Dallas, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Dallas, Texas?
Flat fees are common for a single meeting and hourly billing is common for everything else. Many advocates give a free first call. Nobody bills you through this site, so ask each person how they invoice.
Do I need an advocate for a routine annual review?
Most parents call after a school says no to testing, after goals repeat unchanged for a year, or a week before an annual review. Earlier is cheaper. An advocate hired the night before a meeting can only read so much.
Who runs special education for Dallas schools?
Dallas ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Dallas students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
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 is the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?
The short version. IEP means the school changes what is taught and how, and Section 504 means the school changes the conditions around it.
Official special education resources in Texas
Official Texas links for parents in Dallas.
Sources for the Texas rules on this page
- 19 TAC Chapter 89, Subchapter AA, currently in effect (TEA) (19 TAC 89.1011(d)(1))
- TEA, Full and Individual Initial Evaluation timeline (19 TAC 89.1011(d)(1) and Tex. Educ. Code 29.004(a)(1))
- TEA special education complaints process
- TEA special education
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
Nearby cities in Texas
The same Texas rules apply in Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Houston and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
Before you contact anyone
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Dallas and Fort Worth. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Have the most recent Dallas ISD progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
