Grantee Stories

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, public school students with disabilities and their families in King County and across Washington State have increased need for individual representation and education advocacy. COVID-based  learning loss most significantly impacted students with disabilities who also experience additional marginalized identities. Disability Rights Washington (DRW) received increased reports of amplified inequities with loss in academic, social and emotional learning, behavior and mental health supports, as well as a loss of important day-to-day structure and relational safety. Without these supports, some students have been admitted to hospitals and other students have experienced more restrictive placement and punishment at school.

With a King County COVID-19 Response Grant through LFW, DRW has expanded our legal service capacity to meet these pressing needs. DRW is providing advice and technical assistance on education to students with disabilities, with additional educational advocacy through negotiation, mediation or due process, while monitoring and reporting on the use of isolation and restraints in King County. DRW is centering race and focusing on those most impacted by COVID-19, including students who are BIPOC, non-native English speakers, low-income, with lived experience in housing instability and/or the foster care system. Addressing these acute needs and working with the most impacted students and families will not only provide an opportunity to address immediate problems, but also will address long-term systemic violence and injustice disproportionately impacting BIPOC disabled students in schools every day.

Click here to learn more about Disability Rights Washington.