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Information for Families of Children with Disabilities - June 6, 2022

New Special Education Parent Ombudsman

The Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE's) Department of Special Education and Student Services (SESS) announces that Mr. Peter Grabowski has taken on the role of Special Education Parent Ombudsman. Peter is honored to be joining the VDOE. He has dedicated the past eighteen years to supporting students and their families and comes to us by way of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools. While there, he served in the roles of coordinator of special education, instructional specialist, and special education teacher. Welcome, Peter!

Our Parent Ombudsman for Special Education serves as a designated neutral party who advocates for a fair process and provides confidential, informal assistance and support to parents, guardians, advocates, educators, and students with disabilities. Please reach out via email, at SpecialEducationParentOmbudsman@doe.virginia.gov or via phone, at 1 (800) 422-2083.

Opening Doors - Unlocking Potential (ODUP) - 2022 Opening Doors - Unlocking Potential (ODUP) - 2022: Practices in Perseverance to Inspire Possibilities will be held virtually June 22-24, 2022. ODUP - 2022 is Virginia's 16th annual professional development institute for professionals and families who support students who are deaf or hard of hearing. A variety of session topics focusing on effective strategies to positively impact literacy development and academic outcomes for students who are deaf and hard of hearing will be presented. Visit the ODUP - 2022 website for additional information and to register for this event.

Building Strong Parent Advocates The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC), in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), invites families to join us in our newest online training course, Building Strong Parent Advocates. This self-paced, virtual training program provides information to help families build a solid foundation to understand the special education process while empowering them to be their child's best advocate. For more information regarding dates for virtual sessions and registration, refer to the Building Strong Parent Advocates flyer.