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 Fort Worth, Texas
Special education and Section 504 advocates for Fort Worth ISD families in Fort Worth.
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 Fort Worth schools are offering enough.
Before and after a Fort Worth IEP meeting
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Fort Worth team ever sits down.
Request the full file in writing before you hire anyone. Schools have to give parents the education records they keep.
Advocates based in Texas
No advocate in this directory lists Fort Worth 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 Los Angeles, CA · works with Texas schools
Sara Westin
Strategic Special Education Advocate
I combine the precision of a Columbia Law attorney with over a decade of special education leadership to help Los Angeles families navigate the IEP process with clarity, confidence, and results.
- From $250 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
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 Hawthorne, NJ · works with Texas schools
Dalia Rodriguez
IEP Consultant, School Social Worker, Advocacy
I am a Child Study Team School Social Worker, with a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. I have core competencies in special education law, mental health, and behavioral health.
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability
- Contact for rate
- Meets by video or phone
The district behind a Fort Worth IEP
Fort Worth ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Fort Worth students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
An Austin parent group can tell you how the same district handled a case like yours, which is worth more to read than a policy page.
- District Fort Worth ISD
- County Tarrant County
- Public schools inside Fort Worth 111
- Size Fort Worth is the 4th-largest city in Texas by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Austin, TX
Confirm your child's district by address. Fort Worth 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.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Fort Worth meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
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.
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.
Where advocacy stops
Advocates charge for this. At $75 to $150 per hour, a standard IEP cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400, and that money does not come back if the answer is still no.
Advocates who have never seen the file cannot tell you what is missing from it. Send the records first and book the call second.
Who serves Fort Worth today
Being listed for Texas is not the same as taking Fort Worth cases, so read the service area on each of the 5 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in a Fort Worth ISD meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Fort Worth IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Fort Worth, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Fort Worth, Texas?
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 Fort Worth schools?
Most Fort Worth families work with Fort Worth ISD. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
What is the evaluation deadline in Texas?
The deadline in Texas for finishing an initial evaluation is 45 school days. Put that date on your calendar the day you sign consent, because the district counts from the paperwork and not from the conversation.
Can I bring an advocate to a Section 504 meeting?
Yes, and the rules differ slightly. Section 504 does not spell out who may attend the way IDEA does, so ask the school in writing before the meeting and keep the answer.
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 Fort Worth.
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 Austin, Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
Before you contact anyone
You are not limited to advocates inside Fort Worth. The closest listed office is in Austin, and distance matters less than whether that person has worked a case in your district.
Have the most recent Fort Worth ISD progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
