- What does advocacy mean and why and when would I need an Educational Advocate?
Advocacy means helping you understand school processes and procedures, informing you of your rights, and working with you to get your child’s needs met in school.F.A.C.T Educational Advocates understand special education law and can help you with all aspects of managing your child’s school career and their IEP (Individual Education Plan) and 504 plans. If you don’t yet know what IEP or 504 plans stands for, we will help you with that too.Some families need help preparing for and attending school meetings, others have to deal with a child being expelled and from time to time, parents worry that their child is not getting the level of support they need.
- How much do F.A.C.T. services cost?
All services are free when eligibility requirements are met. Although it depends somewhat on the program, you need to live in Franklin County, Lincoln County, Warren County, Jefferson County, Saint Charles County or St. Louis County to participate in our programs.
- What happens when I call and who do I speak to?
When you need help, call F.A.C.T. at (636) 949-2425. Our intake worker will ask you some questions to determine how we can help, and the best person to connect you with. The intake call usually takes about 5-10 minutes. Depending on the urgency of your problem, you will either be put through to someone who can answer your immediate question or we will schedule an appointment for you to visit our office. Once we have a first meeting we will identify and prioritize your most urgent needs.
- Who are the people who work at F.A.C.T.?
Everyone at F.A.C.T has received considerable training, but we are not teachers, social workers or medical professionals. We are not lawyers, although we do understand special educational law. But we are people whose lives have been profoundly affected by disability because we are parents, grandparents and family members of a person who is diagnosed with an emotional/behavioral, developmental or physical disability. We have faced many of the same challenges as you and we want to use our experiences to help you.
- What sort of disability do you have to have to use your services?
F.A.C.T is here to support the families that include children with all types of disabilities. If your child has been diagnosed with an emotional/behavioral, developmental or physical disability and you live in a qualifying area, we can help. Examples of some of the typical diagnoses are:
Emotional Disorder or Behavioral Health Diagnoses
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Bipolar disorder
Eating disorder
Depression
Anxiety disorders
Phobias
Schizophrenia
Personality Disorders
Developmental disability
Autism
Cerebral palsy
Down syndrome
Learning disability
Intellectual disability
And other developmental diagnoses
Physical disability
Cerebral palsy
Spina bifida
Brain and spinal injuries
Muscular dystrophies
And other physical diagnoses
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)- Do I have to qualify or meet any requirements to get help for my child with a disability?
To qualify for our programs, your child must be diagnosed with a disability. However, if your child has not been diagnosed, but you suspect they have a problem, we may be able to help or guide you in the right direction. For our PWF program your child must be diagnosed with an emotional disorder and live in Franklin County, Lincoln County, or Saint Charles County. To participate in our Family Support Program your child must be diagnosed with, or suspected as having a developmental disability and live in St. Charles or St. Louis county to participate in our programs: Jefferson County beginning January 2019. To participate in our Educational Advocacy Program for free you must have a developmental disability and live in St. Charles or Warren County. Not all programs are available in all areas.
If you are worried that you don’t qualify, please contact us anyway. We may be able to help you get qualified, or we may be able to refer you to an organization that can assist you.