Client Focus: Alexis

At the age of 10, Alexis had been held back in school twice. Alexis couldn’t recite her ABC’s. In math class, she couldn’t distinguish between addition and subtraction symbols. Her mother tried day after day to get an evaluation and extra tutoring for her daughter, but the teachers insisted Alexis was fine, even though her grades implied otherwise.

After months of fruitless conversations with the school, Alexis’ mom reached out to Legal Council. Legal Council’s child health advocates fought for psychological testing, which revealed that Alexis had a severe learning disability. Contrary to what the school told Alexis’ mom, she needed special education services in order to succeed.

Alexis was placed into a program at a higher-rated school with transportation to and from school and an Individualized Education Program. In this program, she is surrounded by children who have similar disabilities. Now, Alexis finally gets the care and attention she needs to expand her learning. With the help of Legal Council, Alexis and her family now receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), allowing them to receive monthly disability benefits and helping to stabilize the household financially.

After being in an unsupportive learning environment for so long, Alexis is now in a specialized learning program, where she can learn to recite her ABC’s, and now has the opportunity to flourish. Legal Council’s advocates could not be more excited about where Alexis and her family are heading.