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 Houston, Texas
Special education and Section 504 advocates for Houston ISD families in Houston.
5 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
What an IEP advocate is
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 Houston schools are offering enough.
Before and after a Houston 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 Houston 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.
Advocates based in Texas
No advocate in this directory lists Houston 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 Inverness, IL · works with Texas schools
Arielle Allen
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…
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Deaf-Blindness, Developmental Delay
- Contact for rate
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Bloomington, IL · works with Texas schools
Jade Adkins
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.
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability
- Contact for rate
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Coraopolis, PA · works with Texas schools
Brittany Maurizi
Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Special Education Advocate
Hi there! I'm Brittany, owner and founder of Balanced Behaviors, LLC. I'm a Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Specialist in Pennsylvania with a Master’s in Special Education from Slippery Rock…
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability
- From $75 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets in person or by video
The district behind a Houston IEP
249 public schools inside Houston belong to Houston ISD. Each one has its own case manager and its own backlog, and the answer you get about scheduling depends on which building your child attends.
Parents in San Antonio face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
- District Houston ISD
- County Harris County
- Public schools inside Houston 249
- Size Houston is the largest city in Texas by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate San Antonio, TX
Confirm your child's district by address. Houston addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
What the clock is here
Once you sign consent for testing, a Texas district has 45 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.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Houston 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
The Texas Education Agency oversees special education in Texas. It does not license the advocates parents hire.
Membership in a professional body is not a licence. It usually means dues were paid and a code of conduct was signed.
Where advocacy stops
Advocates do not decide complaints. The Texas Education Agency does, and only after someone files one in writing.
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 Houston today
Being listed for Texas is not the same as taking Houston cases, so read the service area on each of the 5 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Advocates who take San Antonio cases usually take these too. Say where you are in the first email so nobody wastes a week finding out.
Houston IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Houston, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much should I budget for one IEP meeting?
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.
Is remote IEP advocacy allowed?
Video is normal now. A remote advocate reads the file, drafts your concerns and joins the meeting by phone. What a remote advocate cannot do is walk the building or read the room.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Houston?
Most Houston families work with Houston ISD. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
What is the fastest way to see the school file?
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.
How do I file a state special education complaint in Texas?
Three routes stay open when you disagree. Mediation is voluntary for both sides, a written state complaint is decided on the record by the Texas Education Agency, and a due process hearing takes evidence.
Official special education resources in Texas
Official Texas links for parents in Houston.
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 San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin 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 Houston and San Antonio. 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.
