The Effectiveness of a Parent Legislative Advocacy Program

Abstract

Although parents of students with disabilities have several rights accorded by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), they infrequently participate in legislative advocacy. Given that Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is expected to be reauthorized within the next few years, it is necessary to educate parents of students with disabilities to engage in broader systemic change. Using a culturally and linguistically diverse sample, this study evaluated the effectiveness of a parent advocacy program. We examined whether the program increased the empowerment, knowledge, and motivation of the participants. We also examined the long-term effects of the advocacy program. Using pre-and postsurveys, we measured change in knowledge of special education and the legislative process, empowerment, and public service motivation of 41 participants in the program. We also conducted 6-month, follow-up surveys with 29 (70.7%) of the participants to measure their legislative advocacy activities. Results indicated that participants demonstrated significant gains in empowerment, knowledge (of special education and the legislative process) and public service motivation. Also, after attending the program, participants engaged in legislative advocacy. This study has important implications about parent legislative advocacy for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

Legislative Advocacy Among Parents of Children With Disabilities

“…Finally, research is needed about the age of the child. Parents of younger children are just beginning to navigate special education services (Burke & Sandman, 2017); as such, they may be less likely to engage in legislative advocacy efforts. Indeed, legislative advocacy may be a phenomenon that requires longitudinal research to determine how it changes as the child ages.…”

“…Items included: visiting a legislator, emailing a legislator, speaking to a support group, writing to the newspaper about special education, telling other parents about special education policy, other forms of civic engagement, sharing information about the IDEA reauthorization, and calling a legislator. In a prior study with parents of children with disabilities, the scale had strong reliability (Kuder–Richardson coefficient = .63, Burke & Sandman, 2017). In this study, the Kuder–Richardson coefficient = .75.…”

“…With eight items pertaining to special education legislative advocacy activities, the responses were dichotomous: no (0) or yes (1) (Burke & Sandman, 2017). Items included: visiting a legislator, emailing a legislator, speaking to a support group, writing to the newspaper about special education, telling other parents about special education policy, other forms of civic engagement, sharing information about the IDEA reauthorization, and calling a legislator.…”

“…The focus group protocol was semistructured so that participants could freely speak about legislative advocacy. The focus group protocol was developed based on extant literature about special education (Burke & Sandman, 2017; Turnbull et al, 2011) and legislative advocacy (Burke & Sandman, 2017; Trainor, 2010; Wright & Taylor, 2014). The focus group was piloted in English and Spanish with parents of individuals with disabilities.…”

Parent Perceptions of the Advocacy Expectation in Special Education

“…We scheduled focus groups before the training so the training content would not influence the participants' responses and also as an icebreaker activity for participants. The focus group protocol was established based on a review of the literature regarding advocacy among families of children with disabilities (Burke & Sandman, 2017), parent motivation to affect systemic change (Gutiérrez, 1990), and types of advocacy (Trainor, 2010a). It was piloted in English and Spanish with parents of children with disabilities, resulting in minor changes (e.g., wording of questions).…”