SEE US
Special Education Excellence for Underserved Students
The SEE US Initiative was developed under the non-profit fiscal sponsorship of International Partners in partnership with Weinfeld Education Group, LLC. International Partners cultivates leadership capacity and creates personal partnerships with grassroots leaders to bring education, health, and opportunity to people in economically impoverished communities. WEG's team provides educational advocacy expertise to SEE US.
Services
The SEE US mission provides free expert Special Education Advocacy to to Black students with Special Needs:
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New SEE US clients receive 1 90-minute advocacy consultation per school year to at the least, review key records (IEP, 504, evaluations, reports, etc.), conference with parents/teachers, and provide a case summary with key action steps and applicable resources.
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Significant cases that qualify financially are allocated up to 15 hours of advocacy funding within a the school year, based on availability of donated funds. Advocacy includes client observations, review records, attend school meetings, facilitate evaluations, make recommendations, and conference with parents, etc.
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More severe cases can be considered if our advocacy would allow clients to be served for multiple years to monitor progress, participate in reevaluation, perform observations, review records, and attend meetings. Financial need of the student’s family is not considered for the Advocacy Consultation.
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SEE US parents receive toolkits of resources to support their continued advocacy of their child’s special education.
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Where applicable, SEE US clients received free private evaluations.
Eligibility
The SEE US mission targets the effects of systemic racism:
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SEE US serves Black students who are not receiving appropriate special education services.
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Special consideration is given to students whose families have suffered historic oppression (such as slavery, hate crimes, and mass incarceration).
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Financial need of the student's family is not considered.
SEE US serves students in the DC, Virginia and Maryland region.
Parents may apply by calling:
(301) 681-6233.
Providing no-cost, expert, special education advocacy to Black students with special needs whose education has been impacted by systemic racism.
LEADERSHIP
Marcy Jackson, MA,CPP, CFD
WEG's SEE US Liaison; WEG Educational Consultant, Author, Special Education Advocate
Advisory Board Members
Jani Tillery, Esq.
Attorney, Michael J. Eig and Associates, P.C.
Janee Caslin, MBA, MA
Manager with accounting and consulting firm
Dr. Joette James
Clinical neuropsychologist (ABPP)
Gary Gilbert
President of Gilbert Employment Law, P.C.
"Racism is a system that encompasses economic, political, social, and cultural structures, actions, and beliefs that institutionalize and perpetuate an unequal distribution of privileges, resources, and power between White people and people of Color. This system is historic, normalized, taken for granted, deeply embedded, and works to the benefit of whites and to the disadvantage of people of color."
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- Dr. Asa G. Hilliard III, 1992
Donations To The SEE US Fund
Through International Partners, SEE US raises tax-deductible contributions to ensure that each Black student with special needs and disabilities receives appropriate education plans that allow them to succeed in school and beyond.
The SEE US initiative is solely dependent on individual and corporate contributions.
WEG has made a contribution to SEE US by donating the initial $10,000 in educational advocacy hours provided by WEG to the SEE US Fund. In addition, WEG's educational consultants are providing advocacy services at a reduced hourly rate.
Get Involved
How to Provide Individual & Corporate Donations
SEE US, through the partnership of WEG and non-profit fiscal sponsor International Partners, raises tax deductible contributions from private companies, organizations and individuals, that ensures each Black student with special needs, receives the expert advocacy that allows them to succeed in school and beyond.
Advocacy access begins with an automatic 2 hours of service to eligible parents. Most cases receive between 2 and 15 hours of funding within a school year.
Contributions of any size help advance the SEE US program and support the students in our program. Just $510.00 provides one SEE US student an advocacy consultation to review and make recommendations to the child’s special education plan. This powerful, yet simple step administered by experts, can change the direction of the child’s special education plan.
SPONSOR A STUDENT
Sponsor a student with special needs like “Michael.” Michael is 4 years old, black student with Autism and is not thriving at his new school. His mother feels the school doesn’t understand how to teach Michael. After connecting with SEE US, Michael received a classroom observation by an expert and a thorough records review, both of which informed an impactful Behavior Intervention Plan with unique strategies that work just for Michael. Now Michael is learning and thriving.
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TOOLKIT: $150 - Provide Parent Education and Resources.
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Best for parents who prefer a simple refresher.
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ROAD MAP: $390 - Consultation and ACTION PLAN: Includes guidance on recommendations and development of strategic letter to request school action.
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Best for parents who are comfortable following up independently.
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PARTNER: $950 - Consultation and Educational ANALYSIS: Includes review of records resulting in a report with a detailed set of functioning in every educational impact area. Including guidance on recommendations and the development of a strategic letter to request school action.
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Best for parents who want a partner in their advocacy
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CHAMPION: $2,500 - Consultation and ADVOCACY: Review of records, at-school observation, interviews with service providers, expert opinion, recommendation, and communication with school.
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Best for parents who need significant help and navigation.
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Donors receive a 501c3 donation letter, thank you card, bi-annual updates, and recognition at our SEE US events.
How to Be A Corporate/Organization Sponsor
SEE US responds to corporate donations with recognition on the SEE US website, in related outreach materials, and at related marketing events. All unused donations remain in our funds to support continuing and future case support. Your sponsorship removes educational barriers for Black students with special needs and propels our clients toward a path of educational and life success.
We hope you will consider corporate sponsorship!
If you have any questions about becoming a donor or becoming a corporate sponsor, please EMAIL US
How To Donate
TO DONATE BY CHECK
Send your check to the following address:
International Partners-See Us
15437 Tindlay St.
Silver Spring, MD 20905
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please include "SEE US" on the memo line to make sure your payment is assigned to our program
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please indicate whether this is a personal or corporate donation
TO DONATE BY CREDIT CARD
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Use the Credit Card Donation button below to go to the International Partners website.
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Use the Designation drop down and select SEE US and put your name or company name in the "Name" box.
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Click on PayPal Donate where you will be taken to the PayPal credit card processing system.
You do not need a PayPal account to pay by credit card.
SEE US RESOURCES
Teachers & Administrators
ONLINE COURSE
Identifying and Removing Obstacles for Black Students with Special Needs - Are you ready to make a difference in the lives of under-served Black Students with Special Needs? Change agency begins with awareness, knowledge, and skill. In this self-paced course, teachers and school staff will recognize personal and professional biases, relationships between structures of racism and special education, relate empathy for ignorance to strategies for equity, and relegate evidence-based and privileged best practices to the most marginalized students with special needs: Black students.
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Psychologists & Counselors
PHYSICIANS
As a primary source of referrals, physicians function in an essential role within the K-12 special education advocacy process along with parents, school staff and other professionals on behalf of underserved, Black children/clients with special needs. In this one hour workshop, participants will explore the impact of their involvement in the outcomes of special populations, particularly those significantly impacted by systemic racism. Particularly, cultural disconnect and potential biases in the implementation of special education services will be presented.
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Parents
BLACK & DYSLEXIC PODCAST
Ep. 8 - Access to Advocacy with Marcy Jackson
Join Winifred A. Winston and LeDerick Horne with Marcy Jackson as they discuss how educational consultants can help parents access special education services through an IEP or 504 plan. Marcy also shares how Rich Weinfield, Executive Director & Educational Consultant, with Weinfield Education Group (WEG) has made advocacy accessible by providing no-cost, expert, special education advocacy to Black students with special needs whose education has been impacted by systemic racism with the SEE US program.
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Why SEE US
We know that special education advocacy results in appropriate services and placement, which leads to successful educational outcomes. For the past 15 years, Weinfeld Education Group (WEG) has provided expert advocacy to families throughout Maryland, DC and Virginia. In a recent survey, 91% of WEG clients said that WEG’s advocacy had resulted in positive outcomes for their children.
Students with special needs, who do not receive appropriate services in school, have very poor outcomes. Expert Special Education Advocacy makes a difference in the quality of special education plans and services. Unfortunately for decades, there has been disparity between how Black students and White students are identified and served in Special Education. Black students with special needs are under-identified for special education services and over-identified for certain categories.
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Black students are identified 2.22 times higher with Intellectual Disabilities and 2.08 times higher with Emotional Disturbance than White students in the same 6 to 21 age range.
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75.4% of White male students and 45.6% of Black male students were receiving special education services among 4th graders in the lowest reading decile.
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Due to discipline disparity, Black students with disabilities lose 77 more days of instruction on average than White students with disabilities.
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Black students make up 50% of all students with disabilities in correctional facilities.
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Of students with disabilities, black students are 1.5 times more likely to drop out of school than white students with disabilities.
