Protecting Every Child's Right to an Education
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Helen Roussel: Special Educational Advocate

Advocating for equitable access to education for students with disabilities, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ADHD, and emotional or behavioral challenges

Helen Roussel

We understand the importance of your child's education, success, happiness, and confidence at school. We work with families and school districts to remove barriers to learning and ensure every student reaches their academic, emotional, and social potential. 

​With over ten years of experience representing students, our focus is on the immediate needs, ensuring students receive the evidence-based services to which they are legally entitled. We provide services on a sliding scale, and we hope to secure funding to give more students from low-income families and students in foster care equitable access to education.

Additionally, I have been appointed to several boards, including the New York State Education Department's Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Task Force to develop evidence-based policies. I currently serve on the Trust for Learning's working group focused on the educational needs of children in foster care. Through these roles and workshops with parents and teachers, I have gained a deeper understanding of systemic barriers within the public school system and learned how to address them. 

• Parent Coaching
• Comprehensive Progress Monitoring
• IEP Goal Assessment and Strategic Planning
• Mediations/CSE Attendance and Administration Meetings
• Referrals to Legal Representation
• Access to Expert Evaluators and Service Providers
• Responding and Drafting Communications with Districts
• Long and Short-Term Education Planning Based on Specific Goals

Our approach benefits the entire school district, one district at a time, and I am confident it will positively transform your child's educational journey.
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✓ Experience
Over ten years working as an educational advocate, leading to being appointed to the New York State Education Department's Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Task Force.  And is a founding member of Decoding Dyslexia NY and Literacy Advocates.
✓ Special Education Training
Orton-Gillingham (Academy of Orton-Gillingham) and The Hochman writing method: The Writing Revolution.
 ✓ Legal Training
Wright's Law, New York City Bar, Long Island University, and in further training with the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates for Special Education Advocate Training (SEAT II).
 ✓ Master of Social Work 
To further enhance my social-emotional approach to advocacy, I am currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at Rutgers University.
✓  Positive Parent Reviews and Endorsements
See a partial list below.

Ready to Take the Next Step? 

BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION

 Free Parent, Teacher, and Administrator Workshops 

Our workshops are designed specifically for you! Here are some of the topics that we cover...

• Advocacy, what parents need to know!
• Evidence-based literacy instruction (reading and writing)
• How to screen for students at risk of dyslexia
• MTSS how to implement and reduce the need for students to be referred for special education (they need never fall behind)
• School district resources
• Professional development in evidence-based reading and writing instruction 

WORKSHOP ENQUIRY

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Special Education Law

Four Definitions about Reading from
​No Child Left Behind

1. Legal definition of reading The term 'reading' means a complex system of deriving meaning from print that requires all of the following:
(A) The skills and knowledge to understand how phonemes, or speech sounds, are connected to print.
(B) The ability to decode unfamiliar words.
(C) The ability to read fluently.
(D) Sufficient background information and vocabulary to foster reading comprehension.
(E) The development of appropriate active strategies to construct meaning from print.
(F) The development and maintenance of a motivation to read.
 
2. Legal definition of the essential components of reading instruction
The term 'essential components of reading instruction' means explicit and systematic instruction in-
(A) phonemic awareness;
(B) phonics;
(C) vocabulary development;
(D) reading fluency, including oral reading skills; and
(E) reading comprehension strategies.
 
3. Legal definition of scientifically based reading research
The term 'scientifically based reading research' means research that-
(A) applies rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain valid knowledge relevant to reading development, reading instruction, and reading difficulties; and
(B) includes research that- 
(i) employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment;
(ii) involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn;
(iii) relies on measurements or observational methods that provide valid data across evaluators and observers and across multiple measurements and
observations; and
(iv) has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific review.
 
4. Legal definition of a diagnostic reading assessment The term 'diagnostic reading assessment' means an assessment that is-
(i) valid, reliable, and based on scientifically based reading research; and
(ii) used for the purpose of-
(I) identifying a child's specific areas of strengths and weaknesses so that the child has learned to read by the end of grade 3;
(II) determining any difficulties that a child may have in learning to read and the potential cause of such difficulties; and
(III) helping to determine possible reading intervention strategies and related special needs.

Support our work with underprivileged students
​Make a Donation

Student Advocate Presentations

Video credits and info. Learning Ally 

Here's some examples of students self-advocating. At the beginning of each school year, they present to their new school teachers and explain what dyslexia is. It helps their teachers understand dyslexia, it opens up conversations about dyslexia and conveys how they best learn. 

Victoria's Presentation

Stephanie's Presentation

Parent Advocate Webinars

​Advocating Basic Rights for Your Child with Dyslexia

An In-Depth Look at the IEP for Kids with Dyslexia 

​Webinar: 5 Secrets to Help Students with Dyslexia Become Self Reliant