Special Education in Virginia

Step-by-step guides and toolkits for families of children with disabilities in Virginia, United States.

Virginia Guides

Virginia IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide

Complete Virginia IEP transition-to-adulthood guide with state timelines, decision worksheets, agency handoff steps, and planning checklists

Virginia Adult Guardianship & Alternatives Guide (Turning 18)

Complete Virginia turning-18 guardianship and alternatives guide with decision worksheets, court-process steps, timelines, and preparation checklists

Virginia SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide

Complete Virginia SSI-at-18 and adult disability benefits guide with application steps, agency worksheets, deadline tracking, and benefits checklists

Virginia IEP & 504 Advocacy Playbook

Complete state-specific playbook with 8VAC20-81 procedures, military IEP transfer guidance, Children's Services Act navigation, PEATC coordination, 65-business-day timeline templates, and Virginia-specific advocacy across all divisions

Virginia IEP & 504 Blueprint

Complete Virginia IEP & 504 Blueprint with 8 VAC 20-81 compliance guides, PEATC partnership resources, military family IEP transfer templates, VDOE complaint filing instructions, diploma pathway decision trees, and meeting scripts

United States-Wide Guides

These apply to all families of children with disabilities in United States:

United States Special Ed Parent Rights Compass

Complete guide to federal special education rights covering IDEA procedural safeguards, Section 504 protections, ADA accommodations, evaluation and IEP rights, dispute resolution pathways, and landmark Supreme Court cases

United States Special Ed Assessment Decoder

Complete guide to understanding special education evaluations covering assessment tools, how to read evaluation reports, the 13 IDEA disability categories, IEE rights, and evaluation request letter templates

United States Post-Secondary Transition Roadmap

Complete guide covering IDEA transition requirements, vocational rehabilitation, post-secondary education pathways, SSI/SSDI benefits, ABLE accounts, independent living, guardianship alternatives, and year-by-year planning checklists

General Resources

These guides work no matter where you live:

Autism IEP & Accommodation Toolkit

Complete toolkit with sensory accommodation banks, communication goal examples, social skills and executive function IEP objectives by autism level, meeting advocacy scripts for common school pushback ('too high-functioning for support'), and dispute templates for denied accommodations.

ADHD Advocacy & Accommodation Playbook

Complete playbook with accommodation menus by ADHD subtype, IEP goal banks for executive function and attention, 504 Plan vs IEP decision tree, meeting advocacy scripts for common school dismissal ('he doesn't have ADHD, he's just not trying'), and dispute templates for denied accommodations or failed evaluations.

Behavior Support & FBA/BIP Toolkit

Complete toolkit with parent-friendly FBA evaluation checklist, how to read and critique a BIP for function alignment, manifestation determination preparation guide, restraint and seclusion documentation templates, discipline rights by jurisdiction, and scripts for shifting school mindset from punishment to understanding function and building support.

Dyslexia Support & Reading Intervention Kit

Complete kit with intervention comparison chart (Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, Barton, Lindamood-Bell with evidence ratings), IEP goals specifying intervention methodology, accommodation banks, scripts for fighting 'not low enough to qualify' dismissal, and templates for building the case that your school's current program is failing your child.

Articles for Virginia

Student-Led IEP Meetings in Virginia

How Virginia students can lead their own IEP meetings — self-directed transition planning, legal requirements for student participation, and practical…