Since 1986, section 3 of chapter 71B of the Massachusetts General Law has required every public school district in the state to establish a Special Education Parent Advisory Council, often referred to as SEPAC (pronounced SEE-pack). Although it was founded with an intent for parents of children with disabilities to collaborate with school districts, it has evolved over the years into an organization with teachers, parents, and students that make up a support system for those who have a hard time learning traditionally.
Even though SEPAC was originally created to support families navigating special education, its impact now reaches far beyond students with official IEPs or 504 plans. In fact, many of the issues SEPAC tackles such as anxiety, literacy, and executive functioning affect the entire student body. These conversations often begin within the disability community but benefit the learning environment for everyone, which is why SEPAC provides the resources, workshops, and guidance that they do.
November is SEPAC Awareness Month in Reading
Last month, the town select board officially recognized November as SEPAC Awareness Month at their meeting on November 4. This recent proclamation not only highlights the support that SEPAC provides, but also serves as a call to action, especially to students, to become more informed and hopefully even take a participating role in SEPAC. Students should also understand that they don’t have to wait until adulthood to have a voice in these conversations. At age 14, any student can become a general member of SEPAC and students with disabilities, regardless of whether or not they have an IEP or 504, are voting members.
Invisible Disabilities
A major factor that makes SEPAC so unique and impactful is that most disabilities they work with aren’t visible. Reports from Impact MetroWest and Impact Essex County claim that about 12%, or 1 in 8 people in Massachusetts have a disability. Out of those, about 80% are considered “invisible” disabilities, meaning they are not easily recognized by others. Reading SEPAC member Maria Morgan explained that many parents don’t realize their child has a disability, or they aren’t sure what questions to ask when something feels “off.” Morgan shared that she and several other family members have ADHD, although they never would’ve discovered them if her son wasn’t diagnosed with a more obvious disability at just three months old. She explained how visible disabilities often teach communities how to understand invisible ones, and that countless families deal with challenges in literacy, executive functioning, anxiety, and more without recognizing them as potential disabilities.
“Nothing About Us Without Us”
Morgan referenced a phrase commonly used in disability advocacy: “nothing about us without us.” Students, she explained, are the ones directly experiencing the school environment every day, meaning they notice issues and challenges that adults might miss. So, schools really should do as much as possible to make sure they aren’t talking “about” what’s good for students “without” including them. Student involvement strengthens SEPAC’s work and makes sure that it remains centered on the people it affects most.
What SEPAC Really Is
However, misconceptions about SEPAC often discourage people from participating. Morgan said, “Sometimes people don’t fully understand how much SEPAC can impact all families. So whether a kid is on an IEP or a 504 plan or not, SEPAC can still benefit them.” She also admitted that the name “Special Education Parent Advisory Council” can be misleading, sometimes making students or people with less evident learning challenges think, “This isn’t for me.” In reality, SEPAC includes students, parents, teachers, and anyone in the community who cares about supporting disabled individuals. Teachers, Morgan added, are essential members whose unique perspectives are often overlooked. The committee is always looking to diversify the voices of their members, seeking participation especially from frequently underrepresented groups such as those in the METCO program and multilingual families.
The Importance of Student Awareness
When students become more aware of disabilities, it can reshape the culture of a school in powerful ways, reducing stigma and normalizing differences instead of criticizing them. Morgan expressed how that can create “a community where we all feel safe saying, ‘oh, this is hard for me and that’s okay,’” which lets students become comfortable with their individual way of learning and recognize when external support can be beneficial to their educational journey.
Where SEPAC Can Take the Community
Morgan’s long-term vision is a community where people stop hiding differences and begin to embrace them. She explained, “It’s just a difference in how that person’s brain is going to process and like, create and learn to read. It’s just not as common.” Acknowledging these differences allows students to openly benefit from support instead of feeling like they need to hide what they’re struggling with. She added, “Pretending that’s not an issue just causes more problems than not,” emphasizing that continuing to let learning challenges go unaddressed only builds up and makes it harder in the long run. Morgan wants Reading to maintain a school environment where students feel empowered and supported rather than having their unconventional ways of thinking disregarded.
