Diane Lipton Award for Outstanding Educational Advocacy Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc.

COPAA will award the Diane Lipton Award for Outstanding Educational Advocacy on behalf of children with disabilities. The award is given to an individual or group of individuals who have made a particularly exceptional and outstanding contribution to COPAA's primary mission: obtaining high-quality educational services for children with disabilities. Any individual or group is eligible for the award, including both attorney and lay advocates. COPAA recognizes there are different ways to advocate for children with disabilities, including advocacy efforts to obtain FAPE and other important rights for children, activities in court, teaching effective advocacy, policy advocacy, exceptional service to COPAA and other activities. There must be clearly documented evidence of the honoree's exemplary activities.

COPAA's award honors the memory of Diane Lipton, a tireless advocate for children with disabilities for over two decades. She began as a parent-advocate on behalf of her own daughter, Chloe, who had been placed in a segregated school, separated from her nondisabled peers by a chain link fence. Diane became an attorney for the Disabilities Rights Education and Defense Fund, where she championed the civil rights of children with disabilities. She advised President Clinton on special education and helped shape the laws prohibiting schools from segregating children with disabilities. In memory of Diane, COPAA wishes to honor people who are exceptionally dedicated to the rights of children with disabilities.

Nominations are accepted in the fall of each year. Instructions and a nomination form will be provided after September 1. The nomination must explain in specific detail the nominee's particularly outstanding contributions on behalf of children with disabilities. Nominations may be made by a COPAA member with knowledge of the nominee's activities.

For more information about previous Diane Lipton Award winners, see the main Awards page here