March 2025

RESOURCES

Advice for Transition - Video Series

Watch this 2-minute video to hear a graduate share her story of a successful transition to life beyond high school. Abigail narrates her journey and offers practical examples and valuable advice for students and ARD committees. After watching Abigail's video, check out the other stories in the collection.

Understanding Disabilities

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires public schools to provide special education services to eligible students. To be eligible to receive special education services, the child must be identified in one of the 13 categories of disabilities and their school performance must be adversely affected. Click here to learn more about the eligibility requirements for each disability.

Parent-Directed Special Education Services (PDSES)

This school year’s application window for the $1,500 PDSES Grant opened on February 3, 2025, at 8:00 AM CST, and will close on March 31st, 2025, at 5:00 PM CST. This program grants one-time $1,500 online accounts to the families of eligible students. To be eligible, a student must:

be currently enrolled in a Texas public school,
receive special education services through an individualized education program (IEP), AND
have not received this grant in the past—PDSES (previously SSES) is a one-time only grant.

Visit the PDSES website to learn more, or see the PDSES Application Process for Parents one-pager for help with how to apply. In addition, families will need a My SPEDTex account in order to access the PDSES Parent Portal and apply for the PDSES grant. Create your My SPEDTex account today.

UPCOMING EVENT

Navigating Adulthood: Transportation Planning for Students with Disabilities

Join us for a free statewide webinar on April 23, 2025, at 12:15 p.m. (CT). Elizabeth Danner, State Transition Coordinator at the Texas Education Agency, will join us for an informative presentation that will explore various transportation options to consider and guide families through essential steps to take while their child is still in school. Discover strategies to help families navigate a path toward reliable and safe access to the community with as much independence as possible. Register here.

CONNECT WITH US

CREATE A MY SPEDTEX ACCOUNT TODAY!

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ABOUT SPEDTEX

The Special Education Information Center (SPEDTex) provides resources and interactive features for increasing family awareness of disabilities and special education processes, with the goal of improving partnerships between schools and families.