Our Mission
The mission of the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center is to educate, support, and empower Connecticut's diverse families of children and youth with any disability or chronic conditions, ages birth to 26, and the professionals who serve them.
CPAC is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and language access for Connecticut families and youth with disabilities. We advocate at the federal, state, and local levels to help remove barriers that families and youth face when advocating for appropriate supports and services.
Our Vision
All families will have the confidence, knowledge and understanding they need to effectively advocate for their children and to partner with professionals to ensure the children and youth grow and learn to their full potential.
WHAT'S NEW
NEXT Steps Parent Leadership Series
Starting Monday, October 16, 2023
This event is happening on 8 consecutive Monday evenings starting October 16th.
Location: Cromwell, Connecticut
This eight-session intensive series is designed to help parents and professionals...
How We Help
Every day, CPAC's Parent Consultants provide individual training, support and empowerment for parents and professionals who reach out to us with questions about the education of their children and students. We provide training programs at no cost to families and educators across the state. We make available a wide range of accessible online training and information on our website and through social media. We work with a wide range of partners to reach out to families, youth and educators to find and address the issues in the education and transition of students and young people from birth through age 26. CPAC is staffed by parents of children with disabilities who have training in, and personal experience with, the law and disability issues.
Online Learning
Opportunities
Webinars, Videos and
Modules.
Hot
Topics
Technology, school climate & bullying, inclusion, literacy, and more.
Newsletters &
Publications
Newsletters from CPAC and a Guide to Educational Terms (in English and Spanish).
Special
Education 101
Communication, eligibility, evaluation, legal rights, and more.
Key
Resources
Parent Support, Connecting Connecticut, Disability Specific and more
NEW Individualized
Education Program (IEP)
The IEP is the foundation for a student's education.
State & Federal
Resources
State and Federal Laws Supporting Students with Disabilities
Families & Schools
Working Together
Practices and Tools for Schools and Families
upcoming events
Supported Decision Making and Transition
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
6-7:30PM
No Cost
Announcing the Supported Decision Making Fall Webinar Series!!
The Supported Decision Making Coalition of Connecticut is pleased to present three webinars on Supported Decision Making topics.
All webinars are free. You must register separately for each webinar.
October 4, 2023 6-7:30PM via Zoom
Supported Decision Making and Transition
The presenter for all three webinars will be
JONATHAN MARTINIS, ESQ., J.D.
Jonathan Martinis, Esq., J.D., is the Senior Director for Law and Policy in the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University. He is based at BBI’s Washington, D.C. office and leads the institute’s national and international efforts.
Martinis has over 20 years of experience representing and advocating for people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Most notably, in 2013, Martinis represented Jenny Hatch in the nationally acclaimed “Justice for Jenny” case. Martinis helped Ms. Hatch secure her right to live where and how she wants, to make her own decisions, and direct her own life. Jenny’s case was the first trial to hold that a person with disabilities has a right to engage in “Supported-Decision Making,” where people work with trusted friends, family members, and professionals to help them understand the situations and choices they face, so they may make their own decisions – rather than be subjected to an unnecessary permanent, plenary or full guardianship.
» Register for event