Although the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) mandates parent participation in their children’s education programs, the implementation of IDEA results in parent effort beyond participation, specifically, an expectation of advocacy. To date, research on the advocacy expectation is mixed, with some parents perceiving advocacy as an obligation to ensure appropriate services for their children, whereas others argue it is unreasonable and has cultural dissonance, disadvantaging some parents. We examined parent perspectives of the advocacy expectation in special education through 19 focus groups with 127 parents of children with disabilities across four states. Findings included a nuanced understanding of the advocacy expectation, with participants reporting the importance of advocacy and some describing that advocacy was part of their social role. However, under adversarial circumstances with school personnel, participants described feeling overwhelmed because the advocacy expectation felt more difficult than it needed to be. We discuss implications for policy and practice.

Compared to White families, Latino families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face systemic barriers when accessing services for their children. Although there is research about systemic barriers among Latino families, less is known about how Latino and White families differ with respect to special education knowledge, family–school partnerships, and empowerment—key traits to access services. In this study, we examined the differences between 44 White and 55 Latino families of children with ASD with respect to special education knowledge, family–school partnerships, and empowerment; we also examined the correlates of special education knowledge, family–school partnerships, and empowerment. Latino parents reported significantly less special education knowledge and less empowerment compared to White parents; notably, among Latino and White families of children with ASD, there was a significant, positive correlation between empowerment and family–school partnerships. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Parent advocacy has led to improved educational access and outcomes for students with disabilities. Extant research indicates that parents are more likely to participate in individual advocacy than systemic advocacy. Due to the preponderance of individual advocacy, limited research has focused on systemic advocacy. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore individual and systemic advocacy among parents of children with disabilities. Prior to attending a training on civic engagement, 127 parents from four states participated in English- or Spanish-speaking focus groups. Results indicated participants more frequently engaged in individual advocacy than systemic advocacy and utilized a greater variety of individual advocacy strategies. Additionally, parent advocacy can be developmental, moving from individual to systemic efforts. Participants also identified barriers and facilitators impacting their systemic and individual advocacy. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.