OSEP Findings

Description

Given the recent findings from OSEP, Ellen Chambers will be presenting and digging deeper into these findings.

Since 1997, Ellen Chambers has devoted her career to helping Massachusetts families, educators, and

agencies secure appropriate special education services for schoolchildren with special needs.

Ms. Chambers’ advocacy career began when her own daughter, who has a disability, was refused the

educational services she needed in order to make effective progress. Chambers completed the Parent

Consultant advocacy training course taught by Boston’s Federation for Children with Special Needs, and quickly

established a reputation as one of the state’s top Special Education Advocates.

While much of Chambers’ work has been done in private practice, she has also worked for the Boston law firm of

Margolis & Bloom, Boston’s Disability Law Center, the Arc, and the neuropsychological testing firm

Psychological Testing Consultants of Fitchburg. She currently consults to Bay State Community Services of Plymouth, and is an Educational Guardian Ad Litem for the Massachusetts Juvenile Courts.

Ms. Chambers is the founder of the nonprofit special education watchdog group, SPEDWatch,

which works to address systemic obstacles that deny schoolchildren their special education

rights. She has appeared on radio, television, and in print providing commentary on special

education rights and the pervasive nature of school district noncompliance with special education

law. She met privately with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in July 2009 to brief him on

these issues. She is a respected speaker on these topics and presents regularly to groups

throughout Massachusetts.

Ms. Chambers is a recipient of the national Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates’

Diane Lipton Award for Outstanding Educational Advocacy on Behalf of Children with

Disabilities, and the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Women of Justice Award.

Chambers received her B.A. in English from the University of Lowell and graduated with

honors from Bentley College’s M.B.A. Program. She resides in Pepperell, Massachusetts

with her husband and their daughter.