Episode Details

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In this episode, Wendy sits down with Karen Mayer Cunningham, special education advocate and author of Epic IEP, a framework that transforms the complicated federal special education law into actionable steps. After years of doing 500 IEP meetings annually, Karen realized her greatest pain in motherhood had become her biggest calling: helping families navigate special education when the system feels impossibly complicated.

They explore:

• What it means to advocate WITH schools, not against them, and why that partnership matters
• Why children with disabilities have capacity, but they need the right intervention and support to reach equity
• The scope of need: why individual advocacy alone isn't enough

Karen's approach is fundamentally collaborative: she works alongside teachers, administrators, and families because she knows they're all navigating a system that's overwhelming for everyone. Her conviction is simple: when we start seeing each other as partners working toward the same goal, that's when children actually get what they need. 

Connect with Karen:

Get her book, The Epic IEP: amazon.com/Epic-IEP-Educators-Advocates-Navigating/dp/1637635125?tag=syty-20

SpecialEducationAcademy.com

Instagram: instagram.com/specialeducationboss

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