Advocacy
Protecting the rights of people with epilepsy requires ongoing support. The Epilepsy Foundation works with the government and the court system to ensure that children with epilepsy have access to education, affordable health care and necessary services. Each year, it hosts Kids Speak Up, a national conference where children and teenagers have an opportunity to meet with elected officials and educate them about epilepsy. Other Epilepsy Foundation programs include the Jeanne A. Carpenter Epilepsy Legal Defense Fund to help people fight discrimination, as well as ongoing efforts to increase research funding to help find a cure and better treatments. Your local Epilepsy Foundation can help you find out about programs in your community.
Read more about Epilepsy Foundation Advocacy.
Other organizations advocating for children with disabilities include:
- CURE: Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy: a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for epilepsy by raising funds for research and by increasing awareness
- Parent-to-Parent USA (P2P-USA) - a national non-profit committed to assuring the availability of evidence-based parent to parent support services
- The National Dissemination Center - a national center that provides information on programs and services for children and youth with disabilities
- Stop Bullying Now! - a Health Resources and Services Administration campaign to help children understand the dangers of bullying and take action to stop it
- Family Voices - A national network that provides families with tools to make informed decisions and advocates for improved public/private policies for youth with special health care needs.
- NCLB and IDEA For Spanish-Speaking Parents - A Spanish translation of NCEO’s Special Report from 2006, "NCLB and IDEA: What Parents of Students with Disabilities Need to Know and Do." This tool assists parents of students with disabilities in their understanding of the main provisions of NCLB and IDEA, how these laws intersect, and what the implications are for students with disabilities.
