Bright Horizons Advocacy & Consulting, LLC

SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY
 

• Assist with getting identified for services

• Adjust and enforce existing IEPs, 504s, or service plans

• Additional and related services:

• Attend meetings

• Facilitate communication between families and schools

• Provide consultative observations

• File complaints when other options have been exhausted

• Provide education and information on disabilities and disability-related issues for students, educators, and providers
   

• Prepare Social Security applications and appeals 

• Assist in Board of Developmental Disabilities eligibility assistance

• Provide guidance on Medicare, Medicaid, , guardianship and POA

• Provide Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) guidance 

• Advocate for clients in daycare and other community programs

• Link to benefits, provider options, and housing and transportation

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WHAT WE DO

TRANSITION SERVICES
 

• Explore vocational or college programs 

• Work successfully with college disability services

• Build resumes

• Apply for paid or volunteer positions 

• Provide job accommodation guidance 

Bright Horizons'  mission is to provide high quality affordable advocacy services so  people with disabilities reach their full potential and participate in their communities.

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Bright Horizons was founded in 2013 by Jennifer Kirby and her colleague Victoria Watts, when the agency at which they provided special education advocacy took a different path.  From both personal and professional experience, they saw an ongoing need for individual and  family support and advocacy, as did the United Way of Greater Toledo, which helped support development of a new agency. Bright Horizons became a Board-directed non-profit in 2016.

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Our team is proud to bring over 40 years of experience to the table to help you and your family. While it is impossible to guarantee any outcome, we are recognized as experts in the region.  We can promise you we will give an honest assessment of possible outcomes based on our experience, and that we will get to know you and give you our best effort.

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CONTINUING A LEGACY
 

Frances Hamburg (Fran) was the mother of one of our agency founders, Jennifer Kirby. Throughout her life, she was active in a variety of charitable and civic causes, many focused on enhancing public participation for all. She supported everyone getting out to vote and educating themselves about the public policies that affected them. A firm believer in education, she supported literacy programs for adults and children and enjoyed being a tutor. She also championed the rights of those who were disadvantaged or excluded for any reason. We at Bright Horizons strive to follow those principles, in addition to having a staff and Board with direct disability life experience.

Fran was one of the original IEP moms, sending Jennifer to integrated preschool in 1971, and pushing for Jennifer to be mainstreamed. We note that the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 were still on the far horizon when Fran started advocating not just for Jennifer, but for all people with all types of disabilities, visible or not.

Bright Horizons serves an average of 200 individuals per year. Doing our best to help families succeed, we offer a sliding fee scale that keeps our costs far lower than most attorneys or consultants, as well as providing some free services. Our ability to offer low cost and free services depends entirely on community support. Fran, who did not wish to see anyone denied a service, donated generously, understanding that she made a difference for many families. 

With Fran's passing, our families need you to continue her legacy of giving. Please help Bright Horizons continue to offer affordable advocacy. Click on the  Memorial Fund picture or any donate button on this site to donate.

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Thank you from the Bright Horizons family!

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