Through the Education Law Advocacy Project, Legal Assistance of the Finger Lakes will represent Ontario County school aged children. The focus of the project will be to help school aged children with disabilities and/or other special needs. The project's goals are to assist the community in understanding the educational rights of children and to ensure that parents make informed choices about their children's educational options. Services that can be provided include the following:

• Education regarding the legal rights of children with special needs and how to best advocate for those rights.

To be eligible for services under this project, clients must either reside in or be schooled in Ontario County and have a problem related to their schooling. The income in the household must be within 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. A parent or legal custodian of a child, can contact LAFL for an intake appointment. If a youth is self-directing (generally ages 16 - 20), LAFL can conduct the intake with the youth.

To schedule an intake appointment, please call the Geneva office at either (315) 781-1465 or 1-866-781-LAFL (toll free). The phones are answered during the work week from 9 to 12 and 1 to 5.

This project is made possible through funding provided by the Ontario County Youth Bureau.