Advocates here work with Universal City families and Judson ISD teams. Each profile lists a rate when the advocate shares one.
4 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
Families in Universal City and Boerne run into the same problem. The school says the current plan is working, and the progress report shows the same goal repeated from last year with the same numbers under it.
After the meeting the work is dull. The advocate reads the draft against the notes and sends a correction back the same week.
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 Universal City as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Texas, and each card names the city.
Based in Austin, TX
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.
Based in Midland, TX
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
Based in San Antonio, TX
FamilyADDventures.com
Nicole Santiago is a learning specialist and an advocate (IEP coach). She is a member of COPAA.org and ensures special education students receive the most appropriate educational services possible.
Based in Katy, TX
Special Education Advocate
Besides being a parent of a neurodivergent son, I have been a special education teacher, diagnostician, and advocate for the past 30 years. I am a true hands-on, walk in your shoes type of advocate.
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 New York, NY · works with Texas schools
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…
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with Texas 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 Philadelphia, PA · works with Texas schools
Educational Consultant
I began this journey because my own daughter was issued an IEP in 3rd grade. I didn't understand special education.
Judson ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Universal City students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Parents in Boerne face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in Texas, and the district has to answer inside 15 school days.
If the Universal City team says no, ask for the refusal in 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 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.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Universal City. 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 Texas is not the same as taking Universal City cases, so read the service area on each of the 4 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in a Judson ISD meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Universal City, 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 it too late to bring in an advocate?
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.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Universal City?
Most Universal City families work with Judson ISD. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
How many days does an initial evaluation take?
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.
How do I file a state special education complaint in Texas?
Written complaints go to the Texas Education Agency. It decides on the paperwork rather than at a hearing, so dates and documents are what the decision turns on.
Official Texas links for parents in Universal City.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
If nobody here fits, check the Boerne page next. The same Texas rules apply there.
Keep a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will start by building the same thing.
