Welcome to Disability Rights Montana′s (DRM) special education website. We designed this website to help parents, advocates, and educators learn about the legal requirements and resources available for students with disabilities and to help ensure the rights of students with disabilities are protected to the maximum extent of the law.

Special Education Intake Questionnaire

Request Services

It is our hope that this website will be a valuable resource for all those involved in helping every Montana child access a free appropriate public education without discrimination.  We welcome feedback and comments for how we can improve this site as well as information about resources and practitioners we should include. As always, if you have questions about information on this site, please feel free to contact DRM. We are often busy handling cases, but we will do our best to get back to you in a timely manner.

DRM Special Education Pamphlet

Education Work Unit

Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed. Disability Rights Montana receives calls nearly every day from families of people with disabilities requesting assistance regarding education services, particularly in public elementary and secondary schools. Specific learning disabilities and speech-language impairments continue to represent the largest proportion among those disabilities identified under the special education laws. It is our belief that these disabilities, along with autism spectrum disorders and emotional disturbance, continue to be inadequately addressed in schools, although significant shortfalls exist across all disability categories. With the increased diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders and Montana’s growing population of school aged children, Disability Rights Montana expects the number of students receiving special education services to continue to grow. Through collaboration, advocacy, and litigation Disability Rights Montana will protect the rights of students with disabilities to access educational programs, services, activities, and benefits free from discrimination on the basis of disability and to receive a free and appropriate public education.

Priorities

1. Provide information and referral to students with TBI, DD/ID, ASD, ED, and other qualifying disabilities to obtain the supports and services they need to progress in their education.
2. Provide advocacy and/or legal representation in cases that present Child Find and evaluation issues.
3. Provide advocacy and/or legal representation in cases that present restraint, seclusion, discipline, and school removal issues.
4. Provide advocacy and/or legal representation in transition planning for post-secondary education for failure to conduct and implement age appropriate transition plans.
5. Provide advocacy and/or legal representation in cases that present other education, school-related issues of particular severity as determined by the Education Work Unit.
 6. Collaborate with community-based groups to improve educational and transition outcomes for students with disabilities of all ages.