Parents, Educators Speak Up at Forum

The mother of a 5-year-old boy with special needs, Chantel Patterson, 32, quit her job to devote herself to getting her child the best education possible.

Chantel Patterson of the Bronx.

She started a business called “Decoding Special Needs” and carries binders of information with her to meetings with Education Department officials to discuss her son’s Individualized Education Program, or IEP. She complains veteran DOE decision makers for IEP fail to show up to meetings and that, when they do, they are often unaware of what services are available.

“This has to change,” she says.