Health Law Clinic students help families access educational services

On October 9, the Case Western Reserve University School of Law Health Law Clinic hosted a pop-up clinic in partnership with Positivity on the Spectrum, We Rock the Spectrum and Summit County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Law student interns assisted families with requesting individual education plans for their children and drafted correspondences to schools that were not complying with existing plans. Students also interviewed clients with more complicated cases such as due process claims.

"Without access to education, people’s health and life enjoyment is severely impacted," said Julia Aromatorio, the Health Law Clinic’s Supervising Attorney. "Helping people with disabilities access essential services is instrumental to the Health Law Clinic’s mission.” In just three hours, the clinic provided more than $3,000 worth of legal services to Summit County families at no cost. 

Student intern Anastasia Huffman enjoyed giving back to the community. “It can be very daunting to face school districts and administrations without specialized knowledge of legal or education systems," she said. "I loved having the opportunity to support these families directly and remind them that they are not left alone to navigate these complex systems.”