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Parent Alliance for Students with

Phoenix, AZ · EIN 832054691 · Form 990PF · FY2020 · NTEE B01 · Education · Micro (<$100K) · pasen.org
revenue
$24K
expenses
$19K
net assets
$11K
employees
profile · synthesized from sources

Parent Alliance for Students with Exceptional Needs (PASEN) is a nonprofit organization supporting families of children with disabilities, including autism, ADHD, giftedness, and learning differences. The organization provides educational resources, advocacy guidance, and support for navigating IEPs, 504 plans, and special education law. It serves parents across the United States through online content, toolkits, and community engagement.

named programs · 4 · from sources

what they call their work

Homeschooling Support for Special Needs
Delivers guidance and curriculum tips for families homeschooling children with autism, ADHD, and other exceptional needs
IEP & 504 Plan Guidance
Provides parents with practical advice and templates for developing and advocating for effective IEPs and 504 plans
Special Education Advocacy Training
Offers resources and strategies to help parents advocate for their children in school settings, including navigating meetings and legal rights
Transition Services Guidance
Helps families prepare children with disabilities for post-secondary life, including independent living and employment skills
activities · 4 clusters

what they do

  • Special Education Advocacy Services 10 activities
    • Free advocacy resources and toolkits for IEP and 504 Plan processes
      Offers a suite of practical resources including guides, checklists, and templates—such as the Step-by-Step IEP Meeting Preparation Checklist, SMART Goals Guide, PASEN PWN Tracker, Delegation Form, and DoodleArt IEP Toolkit—to support parents in navigating IEP and 504 Plan development and meetings.
    • IEP and 504 Plan preparation resources for parents
      Provides a range of resources to help parents prepare for and participate in IEP and 504 Plan meetings, including checklists, guides on critical IEP components, data utilization, SMART goals, questions to ask, and a tracking tool for documenting requests and responses.
    • Private advocacy services for families
      Assists families nationwide with private advocacy services, including attending meetings, reviewing records, recommending IEP improvements, writing complaints, drafting communications, and attending school meetings virtually. This includes attending thousands of IEP, manifestation hearings, mediation, and resolution meetings, and helping write hundreds of IEPs and navigating the complaint process dozens of times over 15 years.
    • Private advocacy services for families
      Assists families nationwide with private advocacy services, including attending meetings, reviewing records, recommending IEP improvements, writing complaints, drafting communications, and attending school meetings virtually. This includes attending thousands of IEP, manifestation hearings, mediation, and resolution meetings, and helping write hundreds of IEPs over the last 15 years.
    • Private advocacy services for families
      Assists families nationwide with private advocacy services, including attending meetings, reviewing records, recommending IEP improvements, writing complaints, drafting communications, and attending school meetings virtually. This includes attending thousands of IEP, manifestation hearings, mediation, and resolution meetings, and helping write hundreds of IEPs and navigating the complaint process dozens of times over 15 years.
    • Private special education advocacy services
      Provides direct advocacy support to families nationwide, including attending IEP, manifestation, mediation, and resolution meetings; reviewing educational records; drafting complaints and correspondence; and assisting in the development of effective IEPs, with a track record of thousands of meetings attended and hundreds of successful IEPs and complaint resolutions over 15 years.
    • Resources and tools for IEP and 504 Plan preparation and participation
      Provides a variety of resources and tools for parents, including guides on recognizing signs for an IEP/504 Plan, a step-by-step IEP meeting preparation checklist, detailed information on IEP components, data utilization for progress tracking, identifying student strengths/weaknesses, SMART goals guide, questions for IEP meetings, self-advocacy techniques and worksheets, a tracking tool for school responses, a delegation form for students 18+, and an IEP toolkit with templates.
    • Resources and tools for IEP and 504 Plan preparation and participation
      Offers a variety of resources and tools for parents, including guides for recognizing signs for an IEP/504 Plan, a step-by-step IEP meeting preparation checklist, detailed information on IEP components, data utilization in meetings, identifying student strengths/weaknesses, SMART goals, questions for IEP meetings, fostering student self-advocacy, a tracking tool for school responses, a self-advocacy worksheet for students, and an IEP toolkit with templates.
    • Resources for fostering student self-advocacy
      Offers guides and worksheets to help parents foster self-advocacy skills in children with disabilities at different developmental stages, including strategies for building confidence, communication, decision-making, and expressing learning needs for IEPs.
    • Self-advocacy skill-building resources for students with disabilities
      Provides tools and guides to foster self-advocacy skills in children with disabilities at various developmental stages, including a dedicated worksheet for upper elementary students to express their strengths, challenges, and learning needs during IEP meetings.
  • Parent-to-Parent Support for Special Needs 9 activities
    • Information dissemination through digital platforms
      Shares research, information, and advocacy updates via a blog and a weekly "Aspiring Advocate Newsletter," and maintains private Facebook groups—including "Homeschooling Special (Needs) Kids" and a group where professional advocates volunteer to answer questions—fostering community engagement and peer support.
    • Online community and information sharing
      Maintains a blog to share information and research findings, manages a Facebook group for homeschooling special needs children, and hosts a private Facebook group where professional advocates answer advocacy questions for free. The organization also publishes a weekly "Aspiring Advocate Newsletter" with relevant topics.
    • Online community and information sharing
      Maintains a blog to share information and research findings, manages a Facebook group for homeschooling special needs children, and hosts a private Facebook group where professional advocates answer questions for free. Also publishes a weekly "Aspiring Advocate Newsletter."
    • Online community for advocacy questions
      Maintains a private Facebook group where professional advocates volunteer to answer advocacy questions for free.
    • Parent-led support for families of children with exceptional needs
      Provides support to parents of children with exceptional needs, led by parents with lived experience, reaching tens of thousands of families across all 50 states, US territories, and military families serving overseas.
    • Parent-led support for families of children with exceptional needs
      Provides support to parents of children with exceptional needs, led by parents who have lived experience, reaching tens of thousands of families across all 50 states, US territories, and military families serving overseas.
    • Parent-led support for families of children with exceptional needs
      Provides support to parents of children with exceptional needs, led by parents who have lived experience, reaching tens of thousands of families across all 50 states, US territories, and military families serving overseas.
    • Peer-led parent support for families of children with exceptional needs
      Provides ongoing support to parents of children with exceptional needs, led by parents with lived experience, serving families across all 50 states, US territories, and military families overseas.
    • Support for homeschooling parents of children with special needs
      Manages a Facebook group called "Homeschooling Special (Needs) Kids" to support parents interested in homeschooling children with special needs.
  • Member-Focused Newsletter Publishing 1 activity
    • Information sharing through blog and newsletter
      Maintains a blog to share information and research findings and publishes a weekly "Aspiring Advocate Newsletter" with relevant topics.
  • Uncategorized 6 activities
    • Legal delegation forms for adult students
      Provides a Delegation Form for students aged 18 or older to legally transfer their educational decision-making rights to another adult under IDEA, including instructions and legal references.
    • Legal delegation forms for educational decision-making
      Provides a Delegation Form for students aged 18 or older to legally transfer their educational decision-making rights to another adult under IDEA, including instructions and legal references.
    • Online special education law training for parents
      Develops and offers the NASEAT® (Non-Attorney Special Education Training™) online course, an anticipated 50-unit program with hundreds of self-paced lessons on federal special education law and guidance, designed to equip parents with advocacy knowledge.
    • Online special education law training for parents
      Develops and offers the NASEAT® (Non-Attorney Special Education Training™) online course, an academy for parents on federal special education law and guidance, anticipated to have over 50 learning units and hundreds of self-paced lessons by the end of 2026.
    • Online special education law training for parents
      Develops and offers the PASEN Academy (now NASEAT® for Non-Attorney Special Education Training™), an online course with over 50 learning units and hundreds of self-paced lessons on federal special education law and guidance, designed to equip parents with knowledge for advocating for their child’s educational needs.
    • Online training program in special education advocacy (NASEAT®)
      Develops and delivers the NASEAT® (Non-Attorney Special Education Training™) online course, a comprehensive program with over 50 learning units and hundreds of self-paced lessons on federal special education law, anticipated for completion by the end of 2026.
financials · form 990PF · fy2020

the money

revenue
Total revenue$24K
Contributions & grants$12K49%
Program service revenue
Investment income$00%
Other revenue
expenses
Total expenses$19K
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits
Grants paid out
balance sheet
Total assets$12K
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$11K
2 years on record · 2019–2020 · YoY revenue +109.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2020

who runs it

board members · 2
  • John Harris — Chairman
  • Kristen Carstenson — Director
relationships · 8

who they work with

  • Arc Coalition — Sits on the board related to disability and special education
  • Family Voices Coalition — Sits on the board related to disability and special education
  • Jackie Darrough Partner — Co-founded a Facebook group for special education advocacy.
  • MI DHHS Children’s With Special HealthCare Needs Advisory Council (CSHCS) Coalition — Co-chairs the advisory council related to disability and special education
  • Mi Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) Coalition — Sits on the board related to disability and special education
  • Michigan Parent, Advocate and Attorney Coalition (MiPAAC) Coalition — Sits on the board related to disability and special education
  • U.S. Department of Education Government — Provides official commentary published by the U.S. Department of Education explaining the final IDEA regulations.
  • U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Government — Provides a guide from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights explaining Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.