The Equity and Access Alliance
Whether you are a parent, advocate, educator, or professional working within disability-related systems, this community is designed to empower you with knowledge and support. Membership offers a structured, supportive environment where information is shared responsibly, ideas are exchanged respectfully, and collaboration leads to growth.
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Community Outreach
The Equity & Access Alliance
New Content Monthly Community Outreach The Equity & Access Alliance
What You’ll Learn
Effective Communication
The IEP process is built on communication — and how you communicate can directly impact outcomes.
We help families strengthen their voice by learning the language of IDEA, asking focused questions, responding strategically to concerns, and documenting clearly and professionally. Effective communication isn’t about conflict — it’s about clarity, confidence, and preparation.
Content Planning
Strong advocacy requires more than passion — it requires preparation.
We help families organize concerns, identify priorities, and plan talking points before IEP meetings or school communications. Thoughtful content planning ensures your message is clear, focused, and aligned with IDEA standards and your child’s needs.
When you walk in prepared with structured concerns and documented examples, meetings become more productive and your advocacy becomes more strategic and effective.
Process Improvement
We help identify gaps in IEP implementation, accessibility, communication, and compliance with IDEA, Section 504, and ADA standards. Through policy review, documentation analysis, and disability rights training, we support clearer procedures, stronger accountability, and improved access.
When processes improve, outcomes improve — creating more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable support for individuals with disabilities.
Bringing Families Together
This is a space where families facing disability-related challenges can connect, share openly, and find others who truly understand their journey. Through encouragement, shared experiences, and meaningful discussion, isolation turns into support.
Together, we strengthen the disability community — building confidence, connection, and hope so no one has to navigate this path alone.
Advocacy for Law & Policy Change
We support collective advocacy efforts aimed at improving disability rights laws and policies by organizing attendance at board meetings, engaging in public comment, and guiding communication with state and federal officials. This includes drafting clear, focused letters, and helping individuals confidently share their experiences to influence decision-makers.
When informed voices come together, policy conversations shift. Strategic, respectful engagement can strengthen protections, improve accessibility standards, and promote meaningful reform for individuals with disabilities.
Meet Your Instructor
Lora Jane Simpson
Founder & CEOMy journey into advocacy did not begin in a classroom — it began at a conference table.
As a mother of children with special needs, I quickly learned that love alone was not enough to navigate complex educational and disability systems. Like many parents, I walked into my first IEP meetings unsure of the language, the laws, or even my own rights. I remember feeling overwhelmed by terminology, intimidated by formal procedures, and frustrated by how difficult it seemed to secure the support my children truly needed.
Those early struggles changed me.
Instead of remaining discouraged, I made a decision: I would learn the system. I went back to college to strengthen my education and deepen my understanding of special education law, disability rights, advocacy strategy, and system navigation. I immersed myself in IDEA regulations, accessibility standards, compliance procedures, and policy frameworks — not just academically, but practically, with one goal in mind: to advocate effectively.
What began as advocacy for my own children grew into a calling to serve others.
My family history instilled in me resilience, compassion, and a deep belief that challenges can shape purpose. Through personal experience, professional training, and years of navigating complex systems, I have come to understand that families do not lack strength — they often lack information, support, and strategic guidance.
My mission is simple but powerful: to teach members of the disability community how to find hope and build confidence. I want individuals and families to understand their rights, learn the language of the systems that impact them, and walk into meetings informed and prepared. I want to replace confusion with clarity, intimidation with empowerment, and isolation with community.
Advocacy is not about conflict. It is about knowledge, preparation, and persistence.
I believe that when families are equipped with the right tools, they do not just survive the system — they navigate it with strength.
And no one should have to figure it out alone.