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 Richardson, Texas
Richardson ISD staff run the IEP meetings in Richardson. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
5 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
What an advocate does for a Richardson family
An advocate is a paid professional who reads the evaluation reports, drafts your concerns, sits beside you at the IEP table, and follows up on whatever the school agreed to do.
Most of the work happens before anyone sits down in a Richardson conference room.
What the work looks like
Before the meeting an advocate reads the current IEP against the evaluation reports, pulls the progress data to see whether the goals are actually being met, writes your concerns into one page, and sends it to the team in advance.
Records live with Richardson ISD, not with the front office of one building, and a request addressed to the district gets a faster answer than one that is not.
Advocates based in Texas
No advocate in this directory lists Richardson 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 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
Virtual · based in San Diego, CA · works with Texas schools
Sanford Autism Advocacy Group
Special Education Advocate
At the Sanford Autism Advocacy Group (SAAG), we are a small but mighty special education consulting group with an emphasis on Autism and IEPs.
- Autism, Other Health Impairment, Speech/Language, IDEA
- From $200 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Which district is in the room
Richardson ISD takes most Richardson addresses, but not all of them. Check yours before you send a letter, because a request that lands in the wrong district office does not start the evaluation clock at all.
Charter and magnet enrollment changes who owes the service. Ask which agency is responsible before the first meeting.
- District Richardson ISD
- County Dallas County
- Public schools inside Richardson 22
- Size Richardson is the 34th-largest city in Texas by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Midland, TX
Confirm your child's district by address. Richardson addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
The deadlines that apply in Texas
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.
Ask the Richardson team for the evaluation report before the meeting, not at it, because nobody reads a long report accurately while the rest of the team waits.
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.
Who licenses advocates in Texas
Texas does not license or certify special education advocates. Anyone in Richardson can print a card with the word advocate on it.
Richardson ISD does not approve or bar advocates. Federal rules let a parent bring anyone with knowledge of the child to the meeting.
What an advocate cannot do
Hiring an advocate does not pause a deadline or undo a meeting that already happened. The work starts from wherever the Richardson file sits today.
Richardson ISD answers to the parent on the paperwork, so an advocate can draft the letter and you still have to be the one who sends it.
Local advocates and video advocates
Rates and openings decide most of this. An advocate who cannot meet before your Richardson meeting date is the wrong hire, and the second-best advocate who is free this month usually beats the best one who is not.
Distance is a scheduling problem and not a legal one. Meetings run by video whenever the parent and the school both agree to it.
Richardson IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Richardson, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What is the hourly rate for a parent advocate?
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.
When should I hire a special education advocate in Richardson?
Bring somebody in when the file stops making sense to you. A routine review with services in place and progress data that moves usually does not need one.
Is an IEP advocate a type of lawyer?
Two different jobs. The advocate works the IEP process and the attorney works the legal one. If a hearing is already filed, you need the attorney.
Can I hire a virtual advocate if we live in Richardson?
Yes, with one condition. The school has to agree to the meeting format, so put the request in writing before the date is set.
Does Richardson ISD cover every Richardson address?
Richardson ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Richardson students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
Official special education resources in Texas
Official Texas links for parents in Richardson.
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 League City, New Braunfels, Conroe, Odessa and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
What to do next
Search is free. You contact advocates directly.
Do not sign anything at the first meeting if you are unsure. Consent can wait a day.
