Home

  • Little girl drawing

    Michigan Alliance for Families:

    Your free guide to special education.

    Michigan Alliance for Families provides information, support, and education for families who have children and young adults (birth to 26 years of age) who receive (or may be eligible to receive) special education services. This website can help you with finding information on special education issues as well as disability specific information.

Question mark icon Light bulb icon Speech bubble icon Calendar icon

Special Education Resources

Answers about your child's special education program

Disability Information

Information about your child's disability

Support

Hear from one of our Parent Mentors

Upcoming Events

Find an online workshop or view a recording

Need help navigating the special education system? Talk to a parent who's been there.

Connect directly with one of our local parent mentors to address your family's needs. Their perspective can not only help you navigate the system, but they can also help you be more involved in your child's education. All Michigan families are able to access an extensive collection of electronic or printed resources, informational support and referrals to local community resources. To get in touch with a Michigan Alliance for Families staff member,  Contact Us.

News & Updates

  • IEP ATTENDANCE 

    Everyone who attends the IEP is important and has a role. This IEP roles guidance supports equitable, student-centered decision-making and fosters strong partnerships, helping every student thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

  • NEWSLETTER NOTIFICATIONS

    Keep in touch with Michigan Alliance for Families! Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter and event notifications for updates delivered to your inbox. 

Facebook Feed

Michigan Alliance for Families

2 days ago

Michigan Alliance for Families
🎓Congratulations to the Class of 2026 🎓You've worked hard and pushed past many obstacles to accomplish this goal. The future is yours! ... See MoreSee Less

Photo Linked to Article or Resource

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Michigan Alliance for Families

4 days ago

Michigan Alliance for Families
Your child's IEP is designed to meet their unique needs at school. Every IEP is individualized, and forms used vary across the state. The IEP is like a roadmap that identifies needs, sets goals, and ensures schools provide a Free Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment.💻Learn more about IEPs and other special education matters on our website www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/IEPParents need to understand the important words that impact their child's IEP and special education services. Follow this page as we help decode this alphabet soup. ... See MoreSee Less

Video Linked to Article or Resource

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Michigan Alliance for Families

4 days ago

Michigan Alliance for Families
Everyone who attends the IEP is important and has a role, including the Evaluation Team Representative, which is a required IEP Team member. This means an individual who can interpret evaluation data and explain instructional implications of evaluation results. The evaluation team representative can be someone who was part of the multidisciplinary evaluation team (MET) that completed the evaluation, or another required member of the IEP team who can use data and evaluation results to describe the impact the student’s disability has on their ability to make progress in the general curriculum. The evaluation team representative plays a key role in ensuring decisions made during meeting are informed by a comprehensive understanding of the student’s strengths and needs as identified through formal assessments.Remember: Anytime an IEP Team member serves in two roles, the person’s name should be listed for both roles to accurately reflect their responsibilities and contributions.View the guidance at www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/specialeducation/iep/IEP-Roles_Responsibilities...A new guidance document from Michigan Department of Education Office of Special Education gives an overview of the roles and responsibilities of the IEP Team participants. Meaningful participation by all IEP Team members, especially families, is important to ensure IEPs promote access to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE).By deepening understanding of each participant’s role, this document supports equitable, student-centered decision-making and fosters strong partnerships, helping every student thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.The document is available here: www.michigan.gov/mde/-/media/Project/Websites/mde/specialeducation/iep/IEP-Roles_Responsibilities... ... See MoreSee Less

Photo Linked to Article or Resource

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

IDEAs that Work

Funding Statement

Michigan Alliance for Families is a Michigan Department of Education IDEA Grant Funded Initiative. Michigan Alliance for Families is our state's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the US Department of Education, H328M200015. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Anna Macedonia.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email