The PEAL Center

The Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership Center was established in October 2005 as an organization of parents of children with disabilities reaching out to assist other parents of children with disabilities and special health care needs, and professionals.  The PEAL Center began as the parent training and information center (PTI) serving 43 counties in central and western Pennsylvania with a focus on education and community supports.  The staff of the PEAL Center PTI provides two services to parents, youth and professionals: individual assistance and referral to parents and professionals to help identify needed resources and assistance to parents to resolve disputes with schools; and, training to ensure parents understand and can navigate the special education process and have knowledge of best practices.  The PEAL Center offers training on education issues in the 43 counties covered by the parent training and information center, and training on health care issues and home and community supports statewide.

In March of 2007 the PEAL Center held its first conference on Inclusive Education: Making It Happen and held its second annual conference on Building Inclusive Communities:Making it Happen in March of 2008.  The PEAL conference has quickly become a valued event for both parents and professionals.  The conference provides an opportunity to learn from nationally and internationally recognized presenters about community participation and inclusion, effective strategies on inclusive education, and parent leadership in children?s health care and community supports.

In June 2007 the PEAL Center established the first statewide Family to Family Health Information Center (F2FHIC) in Pennsylvania. The PEAL F2F provides individual assistance and training on access to health care, insurance, and community support services statewide.  The PEAL Center F2FHIC created the Parent Leadership Institute to develop skills and knowledge of emerging parent leaders.  The first cadre of parents completed the Parent Leadership Institute in May of 2008.

In July 2007 the PEAL Center began an education rights project in Erie County working with educators and families in the Erie City School District and Millcreek Township School District to support families seeking inclusive education services for their daughters and sons, and to create an infrastructure to support inclusive practices within those school systems.

In March 2008 the PEAL Center began a school reform project to increase capacity to support students in the Least Restrictive Environment.  Activities of the school reform project include a leadership project for parents on school reform issues; presenting a School Leaders Symposium on Inclusive Education for principles and school psychologists; and presenting sign language classes for young children and their parents, care givers and early intervention staff in locations around central and western Pennsylvania.  The first cadre of the Project for Parent Engaged in Advocacy for Change in Education (PEACE) began in May of 2008.