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Thousands of Advocates Make Their Voices Heard in Washington, D.C.

collection of SELS photos with 'thank you, advocates" at the top

This week, approximately 2,200 new and seasoned advocates are participating in the annual Special Education Legislative Summit (SELS) hosted by CEC and the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE).

On Monday, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), a long-standing advocate for special education, attended a virtual Town Hall to speak about the importance of fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the power of advocacy. Later on Monday and on Tuesday afternoon, expert panelists conducted deep dives on pressing issues within federal education funding, educator shortages, and mental health, equipping advocates to effectively bring their policy requests to Members of Congress. Participants worked in state teams to schedule and attend meetings with their Congressional delegations. This event, which typically brings advocates to Washington, D.C., in July, was held virtually for the second year due to COVID-19.

Learn more about SELS and the featured policy issues

Action Alert

You can participate in this week’s advocacy whether you are registered for SELS or not! Simply go to the Legislative Action Center and follow the prompts to write your Congressional delegation about education funding, the special educator shortage crisis, and mental health. Advocacy gets results!

Take action

Posted:  21 July, 2021
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