Pam Kablack and her mother, Joan Harrington have been helping kids with special needs from ages 3-21 to get the services and funding they’re entitled to. They will be in attendance for the community day at Atlas Park hosted by the Glendale Kiwanis.
“We assist parents of all students in public schools, but primarily disabled students to receive the appropriate services and, if eligible, funding if they have to buy the services,” said Harrington. “Or if they have to put their child in a special school, we help them get funding for that as well.”
Kablack and Harrington also advocate for children who wrongfully received disciplinary or superintendent suspension for something that would be considered a part of their disability, even children with Individualized Educational Plan (IEP).
“We can assist parents at those disciplinary hearings in order to ensure all of those factors are documented correctly, so that if part of a child’s disability is social, emotional, or behavioral, then you want to make sure the child is not constantly being penalized for the disability that they have,” explained Kablack. “ If they’re found guilty of what they are accused of, it creates a cumulative disciplinary record that stays with them throughout their educational career.”
Before the Education Advocacy Service, Harrington worked for the nationally renowned Advocates For Children Organization. “When I left I was the Associate Director for Programming and I left because I wanted to have an organization that had one focus, which is to help a parent of a disabled child, and to try to understand them,” said Harrington.
Kablack grew up in this work since she has a learning disability herself and officially came in to work with her mother 20 years ago. “I very much know what it’s like to be that student that needed those services and needed to be pulled out or to be in a class where things were going so quickly,” said Kablack. “You couldn’t keep up or try to socialize with your peers but at the same time having to have this extra help and service.”
Now Kablack’s son Dominick Kablack is currently working for the pair as well in the settlement department, helping families reach settlements with DOE.
The now three-generation family business is working case by case to help every child they possibly can to get the services they need and are entitled to. To find out more information, call 718-252-6682.
