Securing the right educational services for a special needs child can be daunting. Fortunately, Keri Mabry and the Education Law Project help get New York City’s children on the right track.

Keri, a social worker for ELP, works with parents and children to help them navigate our city’s complex education system. Keri and her colleagues provide a whole host of services to these families: creating Individualized Education Programs, helping with school placement and enrollment, attending meetings, coordinating appointments, and much more. “We cover every aspect that a family could need.”

We help parents expand their ideas of what their options are outside of the school setting.

With a background in fostered youth, Keri is especially able to connect with teens. Her work with one young client – Shawn – helped put him on a path towards a better future.

At 15, Shawn was avoiding school. Medication from his bi-polar disorder had given him tremors, and he had grown insecure. Keri went out of her way to connect with Shawn, even meeting outside of her office at a local coffee shop. At first, they met sporadically, with Shawn often showing up late to their appointments. But, as Keri continued to support him, he began to take their meetings seriously. Together, they figured out an alternative to traditional schooling for Shawn, eventually placing him in an apprenticeship in graphic design. Now, as an adult, he’s working happily as a graphic designer. Keri knows that students like Shawn just need a helping hand to find other solutions. “We work with a lot of parents who are defeated, who have been told no so many times. We help parents expand their ideas of what their options are outside of the school setting.”