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2026 Special Education Advocacy in the South Conference
Theme: Bridging Special Education Litigation and Movement Lawyering for Crisis and Beyond in the South
May 15, 2026 | 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Loyola University New Orleans (Main Campus) | St. Charles Room (located in the Danna Student Center)
This engaging, one-day, hybrid event is designed to highlight factors impacting special education litigation and related advocacy efforts on behalf of youth with disabilities, particularly within the Deep South. It will include thought-provoking panel discussions, impactful speakers, and valuable opportunities to network with other attorneys and community stakeholders.
What We'll Explore
Morning Panel:
What are specific barriers to special education and special education advocacy in the South?
This panel explores the unique challenges to accessing and advocating for special education in the South, including a relative lack of special education private schools, a strong school-to-prison pipeline, low awareness of special education among school staff and parents, and a small community of special education advocates. Some time will be spent on exploring why the South has these specific barriers.
Midday Panel:
What works for special education advocacy for individuals in the South?
This panel explores what advocacy strategies help individual children with disabilities to obtain the special education they need in the South. Seasoned attorneys–in private practice and at law school clinics–will discuss approaches they have taken, and a parent and her autistic son will describe what worked for them. This is an opportunity for advocates to learn from and share best practices.
Afternoon Speaker:
What works for Systemic Change in the South? (Part 1)
A presentation by Professor Joe Tulman, the Founding Director of the Juvenile and Special Education Law Clinic at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, describes legal theories and training strategies that hold promise for advancing systemic change in the South. In particular, Professor Tulman will describe how training hundreds of attorneys on special education advocacy improved special education law and made a significant difference in the lives of children with disabilities in Washington D.C.
Afternoon Panel:
What works for Systemic Change in the South? (Part 2)
This panel provides additional ideas for systemic change in the South. Pioneering attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law clinics, and leaders in Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi share their thoughts on how to cause systems change in the education of children with disabilities. Several speakers have lived experience as individuals with disabilities receiving an education in the South.