About
MAC’s Somerville Special Education Advocacy Project (SSEAP) works with parents and families in Somerville to make special education in the Somerville Public Schools work for everyone.
History
Miriam and Beverly Schwartz, a Somerville family, initially faced formidable barriers when seeking special education services for their son. They ultimately obtained an appropriate program for their son but wanted to do something to help the many families who did not have the resources necessary to advocate for their children. They responded with generosity and compassion, supporting MAC to launch a comprehensive training and advocacy initiative to help other families who have children with disabilities in Somerville.
SSEAP, over the years, has provided assistance to hundreds of families and focused on important initiatives such as inclusion, parent empowerment, and transition to adulthood for students ages 14 – 22, which recently led to the district’s implementation of ICAN (Institute for Careers and Networking) for high school students with disabilities. Learn more about Somerville Public Schools ICAN here.
Today, SSEAP’s focus is on supporting the Somerville Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) to help with community outreach and increased parent involvement. SSEAP is focusing on the needs of Latino families who have children with disabilities, providing important information and resources through MAC’s Proyecto Acceso a la Educación Especial.
Contact
To learn more about SSEAP or to get involved, contact Johanne Pino, Project Coordinator, at jpino@massadvocates.org or (617) 357-8431 ext 3234.