FOR PROGRAMS + PROFESSIONALS
Special Education Expertise Beyond the Family Meeting.
Ask The Advocate works with therapeutic programs, schools, organizations, professional teams, conference organizers, and referral partners that need practical special education expertise backed by 23+ years of experience.
WHO WE WORK WITH
WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER
Choose the Support Your Organization Needs.
From one-time training to program consultation, the work is shaped around your audience, your student population, and the questions your team needs answered.
Professional Training
Practical training for educators, clinicians, admissions teams, parent leaders, and support staff working inside special education.
See Training Options →Speaking + Workshops
Keynotes, conference sessions, workshops, webinars, and customized presentations built around real special education questions.
See Speaking Topics →Program Consulting
Consultation for therapeutic and educational programs navigating family advocacy, placements, school districts, and funding questions.
See Program Consulting →PROFESSIONAL REFERRALS
Have a Family Who Needs Special Education Guidance?
Therapists, clinicians, consultants, educators, and program professionals are often the first to recognize when a family needs help navigating the educational side of a child's case.
Maureen works with families who need help understanding IEPs, evaluations, district obligations, placement options, transition planning, and what their next step may look like.
TRAINING FOR TEAMS
Turn Special Education Information Into Daily Practice.
A strong training leaves your team knowing what to look for, what to document, what to ask, and what to do next.
Sessions can be shaped around the situations your staff handles every day.
- IEP fundamentals and the parts of the document that carry weight
- Clearer communication with parents and guardians
- Documentation, observations, and educational data
- Transition planning and complex educational needs
- Therapeutic and specialized placement questions
- Customized training for your team's current needs
SPEAKING + WORKSHOPS
Give Your Audience Answers They Can Use the Next Day.
With 23+ years of experience navigating special education systems, collaborating with school districts, and advocating for students and families, Maureen brings the realities of special education into every presentation.
She connects the law, the IEP, the school system, and what actually happens when families and professionals have to make difficult educational decisions.
Presentations can be customized for conferences, schools, parent organizations, professional associations, colleges, therapeutic programs, nonprofits, and community organizations.
Inquire About Speaking
POPULAR SPEAKING TOPICS
Built Around the Questions Your Audience Is Already Asking.
Special Education 101
Special education laws, eligibility, evaluations, IEPs, accommodations, and the rights available to students with disabilities and their families.
Understanding + Navigating the IEP Process
Participate effectively in IEP meetings, interpret educational data, advocate for appropriate services, and build stronger relationships with school teams.
Parent Advocacy + Empowerment
Practical guidance for families who want to understand the system, prepare for meetings, document concerns, and advocate with confidence.
Transition Planning for Students With Disabilities
Preparing students for post-secondary education, employment, independent living, disability services, and life after high school.
Supporting Students With Complex Educational Needs
Therapeutic placements, behavioral supports, specialized services, intensive interventions, and planning for students requiring higher levels of support.
Customized Presentations + Workshops
A presentation developed around the specific questions, challenges, audience, and learning goals of your organization.
MAUREEN PRESENTS TO
PRACTICAL BY DESIGN
Interactive. Clear. Built for Real-World Use.
Every presentation provides clear information, real-world examples, and practical takeaways attendees can apply after the session. Content can be tailored for parents, professionals, or mixed audiences and delivered in person or virtually.
THERAPEUTIC PROGRAM CONSULTING
Give Families a Real Answer About School District Funding.
Families considering therapeutic or specialized placements often ask whether their school district may have a role in funding that placement.
Maureen reviews student records and gives programs and families an honest, case-by-case assessment of whether a viable district funding argument may exist.
- The student's IEP and evaluation history
- Whether the facts may support a FAPE argument
- Placement and educational history
- Documentation connected to funding or reimbursement
- Questions the family should be asking next
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
A Clear Path From First Contact to the Work.
Start with what your organization needs. From there, we determine the right format and scope.
Tell Us the Need
Share your audience, program, student population, concern, or professional goal.
Choose the Path
Training, speaking, consulting, or the appropriate family referral pathway.
Shape the Scope
Define the topic, format, timing, audience, and desired outcome before the work begins.
Put It to Work
Your audience leaves with clearer language, stronger questions, and practical next steps.
EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE WORK
More Than Two Decades Inside Special Education.
Maureen's professional work is backed by 23+ years of advocacy, educational consulting, placement experience, and continued involvement in organizations serving families and professionals.
IECA Associate Member
COPAA Member
NATSAP Member
Special Needs Advocacy Network
FEATURED + HEARD ON
Conversations About Advocacy, Education + the Work Behind It.
CanvasRebel
Maureen shares her journey to becoming an education consultant and building Ask The Advocate.
Read the Feature →
Bold Journey
Maureen discusses her work and the path that led her to support families of students with special educational needs.
Read the Feature →
Good Neighbor Podcast
Maureen Brown's Mission: Championing Educational Rights.
Listen to the Episode →TRAINING + CONSULTING
Need Maureen's Expertise Inside Your Organization?
Tell us what your team, program, or organization is working through and what kind of support you are looking for.
Contact Ask The AdvocateBOOK MAUREEN TO SPEAK
Tell Us About Your Event.
Share your event, audience, preferred topic, date, format, and what you would like attendees to walk away understanding.