The Special Education Team of Hickman & Lowder welcomes Special Education Advocate Mary Jo O’Neill, M.Ed., as its newest member. Mary Jo will be working with the team to develop more cost effective and efficient service packages to help parents navigate the complexities of IDEA.
Mary Jo has a long history of working on behalf of parents; she combines her years of experience with considerable diplomatic talent to achieve improved educational services for her clients. Her effectiveness as an advocate is based in part on her background as a special education teacher and intervention specialist for private and public schools. She is on the national board of the International Dyslexia Association and an advisor for the local branch. Recently, she was invited to join the Julie Billiart Network Board. Mary Jo worked as an outreach education coordinator with Lawrence school. She values education and continues to holds her intervention specialist license and teaching degree.
In 2004, Mary Jo initiated developed the administrative functions of the Academic Support Center at Notre Dame College to support students at the college with learning disabilities. For the past seven years, Mary Jo has been working with parents to guide them through the complexities of the special education system. She helped parents understand the ETRs, IEPs, and other documents, and attended IEP meetings with parents to advocate on their behalf.
Hickman & Lowder will be announcing the results of the redesign of Special Ed services shortly.