Mary Beth Moore

Founder and Executive Director

When my son started preschool, I faced many obstacles to getting his unique needs met. I had an instinct that what was happening wasn’t morally or legally acceptable, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I spent months pouring over legislation, case law and academic research to learn how I could fight better for him.

The Advocacy Underground is my vision for making sure that no other parent or educator feels alone in advocating for the rights of students with disabilities. Our school systems have been intentionally designed to segregate these students, which means families and educators alike are struggling to make inclusive environments work.

This organization is special, because the focus is on building, connecting and growing a community of people around the world who believe in the human right to an inclusive education. We’re making complex information easier to understand, working to build toolkits that make specialized instruction more accessible and supporting our communities with the knowledge and skills needed to build a more inclusive world.

Kimberly Fradel

Director of Community Outreach

When my son with Down Syndrome was born, my husband and I knew we wanted to provide him the best possible life, which included learning alongside his peers and making meaningful friendships along the way. While preparing for him to start school, we began to research his rights to be included in a general education classroom.

We quickly found ourselves overwhelmed and discouraged. We knew our son had the right to have access to his nondisabled peers at the maximum extent possible. But we didn’t know how to begin this discussion at the IEP table.  This is the gap that that The Advocacy Underground (TAU) aims to fill.

The main mission of TAU is to translate student rights into easy to consume information for all families who find themselves needing extra support at the IEP table.  We empower parents to feel confident in addressing the questions and concerns brought by other IEP team members to facilitate change within the IEP process. I can’t imagine doing anything more meaningful than empowering parents to make their vision for their child a reality.