An IEP Doula™ workshop from Liberate Disability
How to Read an IEP
A 90-minute workshop for anyone who's read an IEP and still doesn't understand what it says.
Next workshop: Sat, Nov 14 · Ballard · Small group, 7 seats
You're not alone
Most of us open the email with the draft IEP attached with no small amount of dread. It's emotional, with sentence after sentence detailing what your kid cannot yet do.
You might have a cheat sheet for all the acronyms — FAPE, LRE, ESY, PWN,— but knowing words to each initial doesn't do much to explain what they mean. You might have 2 or 3 days to read the document. Or it's tonight because you just got the draft and the IEP meeting is tomorrow.
You've done research, you've talked to other parents, so you know some of this stuff. But by the last page, you still can't answer the one question that matters. Is this what my kid needs?
That's not on you. IEPs are not written to be read. Well, yes, they are read but they're read in sections and chunks with by a team of specialists. The language used is shaped by federal law. Nobody designed an IEP to be read start to finish.
There's a better way to approach this. It's learnable. And once you have it, you keep it
What we'll do
Break it down. Understand what's important. Follow one thread through the whole document. See your child the way the school sees them.
Present levels. Goals. Minutes. Placement.
Each part has a role to fill. Each part should connect to the next. When you understand the connections, you can follow the story of how the school is going to support your child. When the connections fail, or don't make sense to you, then you need to start asking questions.
What you'll leave with
A step-by-step way to review the building blocks of an IEP, this one, next year's, every revision after
Knowledge of what the common acronyms mean for your kid's day
How to spot what's missing: a goal with no service, a service that has quietly disappeared
A picture of how the school sees your child, and the ability to correct the picture if needed
A sense of when you can handle it yourself, and when it's worth bringing in support
A reference guide and glossary to take home
Who is this for?
Parents and caregivers of kids with an IEP or a new one on the way. Your first IEP or your tenth. Especially if you're the one who "handles the school stuff."
Who it's not for?
Facing a deadline, discipline, or placement emergency? This workshop won't move fast enough. Book a call and let's talk about your situation directly.
Who's teaching?
I'm Cherylynne Crowther.
I've found the best sentence to describe my work is "I'm an IEP doula." Parents, whether or not they have a child receiving special education services, understand what a doula represents. A trained professional who provides educational, emotional, and informational support. Through IEP Doula support, I bring 15+ years of lived experience, extensive professional training*, and advocacy for system change. Looking back, I wish I had brought trained support to my son's IEP meetings. Reading through the deficits, acronyms, and goals was complicated (and emotional) but I thought I was doing okay.
Then COVID hit, services stopped, and I joined the board of a district-wide special education group. I learned I didn't know what I didn't know. I started reading research on parent advocacy, taking classes, attending webinars, and advocating at the district and state levels. It's changed how I show up. I'm more collaborative and better at pushing back effectively. I'm willing to say "I don't understand." And I understand how evaluations, assessments, and data collection work. Most of all, I can be the training support I wish I'd brought to my son's meetings.
*Trainings include the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Wrightslaw, Inclusive Schooling, OSPI, The Arc, PAVE, Dr. Ross Greene, Dr. Mona Delahooke, Robyn Gobbel, Crip Camp, and more.
I am not an attorney. This is education, not legal advice
Dates
In person — Ballard
Saturdays, 10:00–11:30am
Refreshments included
Near the Ballard Bridge — address sent after registration
Nov 14 · Jan 23 · Mar 13 · May 15
Online
Tuesdays, 8:00–9:30pm Pacific
Live, on Zoom
Dec 8 · Feb 9 · Apr 20
Small group — 7 people max. Room to ask about your kid, not just the textbook version.
$93 tax included
Save my seatQuestions?
We will be using a model form IEP for the workshop. It can be helpful to bring it for you to follow along. There won't be time for questions specific to anyone's IEP.
No. It's live on purpose. Parents talk about their own kids in the room, and that stays in the room.
Life happens. A sick kid, a long week, Mercury is in retrograde ;) Registration isn't refundable however it transfers to any later workshop, in person or online. Just let me know as soon as possible.
If you have accessibility needs please contact me and I will work to meet them. The building is old with a ramp to the door and a freight elevator to the second floor. There is no disability stall although there are no steps into the bathroom. The workshop will be in English.
No. This is about building your skills. Some parents take the workshop and find they don't need an advocate. Some discover, like I did, they didn't know what they didn't know and they ask for support. That's IEP Doula 1:1 support. Book a free 30-minute call and let's talk.
Liberate Disability, LLC · Seattle · cherylynne@liberatedisability.com
Non-attorney education advocacy. Not legal advice.
© 2026 Liberate Disability, llc. All rights reserved.
