Today we’d like to introduce you to Vickie Brett and Amanda Selogie. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Amanda and Vickie met in law school while studying abroad in Spain. After bonding over lunch, adventure, and desire for helping people, they began planning to have a law firm together one day in the distant future. The plan to build a law firm together happened more quickly after law school than they thought. The legal system is not set up for families to effectively advocate for their children with unique learning needs in a quick and efficient way. There needed to be a better way to support students living with disabilities. The access to quality to instruction, access to free legal aide was missing and they wanted to do more than one case at a time. From there the Inclusive Education Project (“IEP”) was born so they could educate families on special education rights and connect qualifying California families with pro bono legal aid for Special Education.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As female business owners, it was difficult to get our startup money. We were both “unmarried” and female and so were denied loans outright. Through the generosity of a close friend, we were provided some seed money to get an office set up and from there hustled as best as we could to build our client base. Our biggest hurdle is people not being aware of the issues we are fighting against. Most families do not even know the problem and they come to us later than they should. The most recent struggles of course came because of the pandemic, people continuing to see “disabilities” in a negative way, and the educational system continuing to try to use outdated research and systems to educate all students.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Inclusive Education Project is our nonprofit based in Orange County, California, and encompasses a legal clinic, student learning center, and parent community outreach. The legal clinic provides legal services that supports students and families throughout the state of California. The learning center provides equal access to supplemental educational services nationwide that students may need to access their public-school education. Our parent community outreach includes our podcast, parent training and presentations, and political educational advocacy. We are known for supporting families and special populations of students that require support in accessing equal learning opportunities. We focus on a holistic and collaborative approach to helping our clients in supporting all aspects of their education which makes us different than the standard special education attorney. We are most proud of our collaboration with community and education partners who help us provide free or low-cost resources to families. Our mission is to provide an equal opportunity for all children to access their education and through our legal advocacy, learning center, and community outreach we are well on our way to doing so.
What makes you happy?
We are really happy and proud to be a 100% female-run business, comprised of women of color and women from military families. We support our employees’ abilities to support their families and children through a flexible and remote workplace. It always make us happy when our clients complete high school and successfully transition into adulthood, whether that be placement in a vocational program, college, or independent living.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @inclusiveeducationproject
