Our Mission

Federal law requires that States receiving federal funds for special education establish a State Advisory Panel consisting of parents of individuals with disabilities, teachers, State officials, and private schools. Its purpose is to advise the Department of Education (“DOE”) of unmet needs of students with disabilities and of policies that should be implemented to address those needs. Hawaii’s official “Special Education Advisory Council” (“SEAC”) is affiliated with the Special Parent Information Network (“SPIN”), which is sponsored by the DOE and the Disability and Communication Access Board of the Hawaii Department of Health.

HIP-SEAC is not affiliated with SEAC or SPIN. It is an independent nonprofit corporation organized to provide focused advocacy by parents of children with disabilities. We believe there is a pressing need for such advocacy because the DOE has a long history of refusing to provide special education and related services that disabled students need to benefit from their education. It continues to do so to this day.

Our mission is to advocate for equal educational opportunity for students with disabilities from age 3 to 22 years of age; to improve the quality of special education and related services that are provided by the DOE and other State agencies; and to help forge a more cooperative relationship between the DOE and private special education schools in Hawaii that improves the education of students with disabilities and reduces the need for litigation.