Collaborative Activities

A key component in achieving our mission is collaboration with other associations and coalitions that share our values and support our work. For example, COPAA is a member of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), a national coalition of approximately 100 associations dedicated to the improvement of disability policy. Our work with CCD centers around its Task Force on Education. Working together, we design and advocate for improvements in special education policies based on the needs of children with disabilities and their families.

COPAA is also collaborating with the University of Southern California's University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Research, Education, and Service on a project funded by the US Department of Education. The project will develop a curriculum for advocacy training, provide training to advocates in two field sites (the states of California and Pennsylvania), and determine the feasibility of establishing national certification standards for special education advocates. Through this collaborative effort we intend to improve the quality of advocacy training and develop a growing cadre of effective advocates. Learn more about this project.