Bradleigh Breland and Angela Gerrits
Student Attorneys Bradleigh Breland and Angela Gerrits

DRLC Students Advocate for Special Education Services

Clinic clients usually appreciate their student attorneys’ services, but two Disability Rights Law Clinic (DRLC) students, Angela Gerrits ‘21 and Bradley Breland ‘20, recently received a client e-mail that gushed with gratitude:

“Thank you guys so much!! This is the first year that I really feel comfortable about [x’s] placement in school. He got way more than I thought he would get. He has full support all around thanks to the both of you!!! I really appreciate how you broke down everything for me to understand and planned piece by piece before each meeting. You made things so much easier. Thanks so much--we truly appreciate you both.”

The client came to the DRLC because her child was not receiving support services necessary for him to advance as required under the free appropriate public education (FAPE) guarantee of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). She was very upset about her son’s lack of progress over the past few years. At their initial meeting, the students also met their client’s son, who Breland described as “quite a character who has a big personality.”

Only two days after Gerrits and Breland met their client, they began advocating for her at her child’s school. This required them to take a deep dive into the applicable law and develop rapport with their client in a short timeframe. After counseling their client about the proposed changes to her son’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP), Gerrits and Breland went on to advocate for their client in a subsequent meeting, which resulted in an updated IEP that includes new supports that reflect her child's development and a path forward for progress at school and at home. According to Gerrits, “The weight seemed to be lifted off of the client as we spoke with her after the meeting. It was wonderful to see that we made a real difference for our client and for her child.”

Even though they knew they had gotten a great result for their client’s son, neither student expected to receive an e-mail quite like the one they received.

Breland reflected, “Receiving this e-mail from our client brought tears to my eyes. With the help of my partner, past student attorneys assigned to the case, and Professors Dinerstein and Alvarez, our client was finally happy with the services provided by the school. Most importantly, our client's son is progressing not just at school but at home, too. This progress is just the start for our client's son, and I cannot wait to see how much further he progresses with the appropriate accommodations and services in place.”

Gerrits added, “The e-mail from our client is moving. I am so happy that through my, my partner’s, and all past team members’ efforts, the DRLC was able to help this parent and her child reach their goals. It is reaffirming and illustrates that we can make a difference in our clients’ lives.”