Volunteer Advocacy Project
Click here to apply for the Fall 2025 virtual VAP Training (Aug. 21-Nov. 13, 5:00-8:00 p.m. CT).
The deadline for applying is August 20, 2025.**
The program will run on Thursdays, 5:00-8:00 p.m. Central time via Zoom on the following dates: 8/21, 8/28, 9/4, 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, and 11/14.
Purpose
Realizing the challenges parents face in advocating for their children with disabilities, The Volunteer Advocacy Project (VAP) trains interested individuals to become special education advocates so they can provide instrumental and affective support to families of children with disabilities in Tennessee. Since its inception in fall of 2008, the VAP has trained more than 500 advocates across the state.
Components of The Volunteer Advocacy Project (VAP)
The VAP training is comprised of two parts: (1) a 36-hour training course, and (2) each participant is asked to work at no cost, with four families of children with disabilities.
- Thirty-six-hour training: Every participant attends a 36-hour training course. In the training, various topics related to special education advocacy are taught evaluations and eligibility, individualized education plans, assistive technology, discipline provisions, behavior intervention plans, non-adversarial advocacy techniques, legislative change, least restrictive environment, and extended school year services. The training also has various speakers including professors, attorneys, parents of children with disabilities, and advocates. Reading assignments of relevant laws and regulations accompany each class session.
- Volunteer work with four families:After graduating from the class (completing the 36 hours of instruction), each participant is asked to work, at no cost, with four families of children with disabilities.
Interested in the upcoming VAP training?
Requirements for participants include attending 12 three-hour sessions and committing to advocate for at least four families of children with disabilities after completing the training. Cost for the program is $25.
NOTE: There are need-based training and education scholarship funds available to qualified applicants through disability organizations such as the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities and The Arc Tennessee. Please reach out to VolAP@vanderbilt.edu for more information on applying for scholarship funds to be put toward the VAP participation fee.
Click here to apply online for the VAP 2025 cohort.
Applications are due by August 20, 2025. After applications are processed, you will receive an email with registration and payment information. To request a paper application or get more information, email VolAP@vanderbilt.edu.
Background
Prior to 1975, millions of children with disabilities were either entirely excluded or included in public schools to a limited degree. In 1975, Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act mandating that public schools not only educate students with disabilities but also provide them with the necessary supports and services. Embedded within this law is parental involvement. Congress wrote parents into the legislation in 1975 to ensure that children with disabilities would have advocates in securing their rights to a free, appropriate, public education.
This act has been reauthorized several times since 1975, and in 1990, it was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Throughout all of these changes, parental involvement has remained and, in fact, been strengthened in the legislation. Unfortunately, there are many barriers to parents effectively advocating for their children with disabilities. For example, it is difficult for parents to learn their special education rights. The IDEA legislation is vast and dense. To have a solid working knowledge of it would require that parents stay updated on federal and state regulations and district interpretations of the law.
In combination with the difficulty of learning the law, parents also have difficulty effectively advocating for their children with disabilities. It is difficult for parents to be assertive (not aggressive) in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings with the school; the power differential between the parent and the school, the emotion involved in discussing your child, and feelings of inadequacy are just a few factors contributing to parents’ difficulty in advocating for their children with disabilities.
Collaborating Agencies