The intended purpose of the guide is to provide special education information in an easy to understand manner. The primary audience of this guide is parents, education advocates, self-advocates, and other legal decision-makers of students with exceptionalities. Parents are to share in the responsibility for developing educational plans for their students. This active role requires parents to have information about the special education process and requirements.

This guide has been written to help parents and other educational decision-makers understand the special education process. Special education is not a place to which one or a group of students in a school goes; it is supportive services that are given to students so that they may progress in and be a part of the general education curriculum. All students are general education students and all students benefit from their parents being involved in their education, not just the special education part of it.