Advocacy Team2021-02-05T22:36:31+00:00

Meet our Advocacy Team

Susan Luger Associates Special Education Advocates and Parent Representatives are experienced professionals with knowledge of the Special Education process. They possess the fortitude to assist you through the process, and the compassion to make the process as comfortable as is humanly possible. Many of our team members have personal knowledge of the special education process, some having gone through it for their own family members.

SLA’s Special Education Advocates

Natasha Chase, Director

Our  Director Natasha Chase keeps SLA moving forward.  She meets with every new family to evaluate their case.  She works closely with the Advocates, providing  invaluable advice and supervision.

Natasha has two Master’s degrees, in education and social work. She  is a graduate of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work of Yeshiva University.  She comes to special education advocacy with an appreciation for cultural differences and an eagerness to help parents and school districts work together for the good of the children.

Natasha is a believer that you have to find humor in adversity. Armed with a sense of humor and conflict resolution skills, Natasha is ready to support parents navigating the special education maze. She has been with SLA since 2008. Back then Natasha was one of the first graduates of the course in advocacy training provided by the Council of Parents Attorneys and Advocates in 2007.

Natasha is fluent in German, French and Russian.

Ann Miller, Educational Advocate

Ann Miller joined Susan Luger Associates in August, 2015. She received her MS/Ed. at Yeshiva University and did post graduate work in testing and evaluation at Columbia University.

Ann spent 26 years at the Stephen Gaynor School in Manhattan as a teacher, the Assistant Director, a Co-Director of the Lower School, and a Co-Director of Admissions Applications.

She also spent 9 years teaching special education in the New York City Public Schools. Ann holds her New State License in both elementary education and special education and was honored to be listed in the 2004 edition of “Who’s Who of American Teachers”

Her own personal history led to Ann’s passion for attempting to create a sense of fairness for special needs children and their families. Her desire to equalize the playing field continually fuels her work. “As identification of children with learning issues continues to grow, so does the need to ensure that every child gets the education he/she needs to flourish. It is vital that this goal be met, therefore the support of families with special needs children is an on-going mission.”

Ellen Roth, Educational Advocate

Ellen’s primary focus is providing support for the litigation process through the drafting of essential documents. Ellen’s preparation of requests for impartial hearings and related documents is aimed at maximizing our clients’ chances of settlement or prevailing at a hearing.

Prior to joining Susan Luger Associates, she was employed in a similar capacity in the offices of a special education attorney in New York City. Ellen has spent most of her professional life in education, as a classroom and remedial reading teacher in the New York City public schools and administrator at Baruch and Hunter colleges.

Ellen has a B.S. from Skidmore College, master’s degrees in remedial reading and guidance from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a J.D. from CUNY Law School.

Jeanne Stone, Educational Advocate

Jeanne Stone has been advocating for children for over twenty-five years. As a licensed school psychologist and speech pathologist, she has provided services for students in both public and private school settings, conducted numerous evaluations and worked with all age students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

She has received extensive New York State training in the CSE process and is a recognized leader in conducting and chairing meetings as well as other related special education services. Her goal has been and remains, “Always working to do what is best for children and their special needs. We need to ensure a level playing field for all students.” Jeanne has attended years of special education law conferences and seminars, has presented on a variety of special education topics and has consulted on a number of difficult of cases where she was instrumental in collaborative decision making.

Jeanne has established and directed early childhood centers with a variety of special needs students, she has created collaborative settings for children with autism, she has served in public school settings as a district chairperson, coordinating services between regular and special education, which when combined with her speech and psychological background offers parents and children a complete range of special services.

“I want to spend this time in my career insuring that children receive the best possible services they are entitled to, so they can fulfill their potential.” Jeanne is excited to be part of Susan Luger Associates, dedicated to these same goals.

Lois Siegler, Educational Advocate

Prior to joining Susan Luger Associates, Lois was employed as a special education advocate in New York City. During this time Lois accompanied parents to CSE meetings. She has accompanied parents to visit and evaluate CSE recommended programs. Lois has assisted parents through the special education process.She was always available to answer parent questions and address their concerns.

Lois worked for the NYC Department of Education for over thirty years. She taught middle school students enrolled in general education and special education classes. Lois became an education evaluator in various schools in District 2 in Manhattan. She assessed students in public and private school in order to determine their educational needs.

The last five years of Lois’s career at the Department of Education were as a special education teacher on the special assessment team at the Committee on Special Education. She worked with a multi- disciplinary team of clinicians, parents and private school personnel in order to create IEP’s and make educationally appropriate recommendations for students with special needs.

Lois earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the State University College at New Paltz and a Masters of Science degree at Richmond College. She is New York State certified in Elementary Education and Special Education. Lois is excited to bring her years of experience helping parents through the special education process in order to obtain appropriate educational services for their children to the team of Susan Luger Associates.

Rita Ashdale, Educational Advocate

Rita Ashdale is a professionally trained Special Education Advocate and parent of a son with learning disabilities. Since 2011, she has worked for private clients in both New York and Massachusetts and is thrilled to join Susan Luger Associates. She earned a Certification in Special Education Advocacy from William and Mary Law School, PELE Institute in Special Education Advocacy and Wrightslaw in Williamsburg, VA.

She also completed full advocacy training with NSEAI, National Special Education Advocacy Institute, of Wayne, PA. Rita has trained extensively with the Landmark Outreach Teacher Development Program at Landmark School in Prides Crossing, MA, which specializes in teaching students with language-based learning disabilities using scientific research-based methodologies.

Rita earned 196 Professional Development Points in Special Education, General Education and Administration for Reading Comprehension, Writing, Study Skills, Executive Functioning and Special Education Law. When she was young and fair, Rita completed four years at Boston University’s College for the Arts majoring Theatre Arts and Acting. Rita is passionate about helping parents to successfully navigate the treacherous waters of special education.

Parent Support Team

Adrienne Schorr, Parent Representative

Adrienne Schorr received a B.A. in Fine Arts and Secondary Education from Lehman College, C.U.N.Y. and an M.A. in Special Education with a focus on physical and multiple disabilities from Columbia University, Teachers College to fulfill her desire to teach art in a more therapeutic/rehabilitative setting.

Adrienne began teaching art at United Cerebral Palsy of New York City’s Brooklyn Teenage and Adult program and subsequently taught in the New York City public schools for 10 years. Her experience in New York City included teaching art to multiply disabled students 5 – 21 years of age and middle school students with a wide range of learning and emotional disabilities and speech and language impairments. She taught art in the Poughkeepsie City School District for the next 20 years. This experience included elementary school for 5 years and then high school. Throughout her years of teaching the “general population” Adrienne specialized in and advocated for those students with special needs who were mainstreamed into her art classes; working closely with their teachers, families and support professionals, and often attending CSE meetings. In addition to her teaching responsibilities she acted as Advisor and Advocate of the Gay/Straight Alliance at Poughkeepsie High School.

Adrienne was an adjunct lecturer at both Queens College and Lehman College, teaching a graduate course “Visual Arts for Students With Learning Problems”. She held summer positions teaching art to incarcerated youth, mentoring teenage gifted girls, and has given private art lessons to an autistic teenager. One of the highlights of Adrienne’s teaching career was the opportunity to share her knowledge and experience in Japan when she participated in a Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program in 2003. She is excited to now use her extensive experiences as an educator to advocate for students with special needs as part of SLA’s team.

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