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Last week, parents, advocates and disability community leaders joined Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen at the California State Capitol to celebrate a major investment in families of students with disabilities: $2.4 million to establish California’s first statewide Special Education Parent Action Network.
The three-year investment will be administered by the State Council on Developmental Disabilities and will help connect parents and families across California with information, training and tools to strengthen their ability to advocate for students receiving special education services.
Assemblymember Nguyen, who is also the parent of a child with disabilities, emphasized that families should not have to become experts in a complicated system simply to secure the services and supports their children are entitled to receive.
“No family should have to navigate special education alone.” Nguyen said. “The statewide network will bring parents, families and advocates together to share information, build advocacy skills, connect with one another and develop a coordinated voice for families across California.”
The announcement was especially meaningful for the parents and advocates who helped advance the vision behind the network, including Cindy Liu, a parent advocate and member of The Arc of California Board of Directors.
“For too long, disability policy has been written about us, without us. Today that changes,” Liu said. She described the investment as an opportunity to build a statewide network that elevates the work already happening in communities while bringing the voices of parents and self-advocates directly to state policy discussions.
Kristin Wright, Executive Director of Inclusive Practices at the Sacramento County Office of Education and a parent advocate, emphasized the potential to help families turn individual experiences into a collective voice that can identify patterns and inform policymakers about where change is needed.
The Special Education Parent Action Network builds upon the work behind AB 2189, authored by Assemblymember Nguyen and sponsored by The Arc of California. Although AB 2189 was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee, its central vision is moving forward through the state budget, with the network expected to begin taking shape in early 2027.
Click HERE to watch the full special announcement and hear directly from the parents, advocates and community leaders who attended.