Master advocate
by Nathaniel Miller
Just because you’ve been doing something for more than 40 years doesn’t mean there isn’t something new to learn in that field.
Patricia Howey (M.Jur. ’24) was the first to admit that, even with four decades of experience as a parent advocate.
A parent advocate is someone who provides support for parents of children with disabilities and special health care needs, such as helping them secure accommodations at school.
However, no federal guidelines or regulations exist for the profession, meaning no formal training is required to advise on complex issues, including the law.
With a lack of formal training, an advocate could easily make a mistake.
“If you don’t know what you don’t know, you can’t serve families of children with special needs efficiently, effectively and professionally,” Howey said.
Continuing her education, Howey enrolled in the St. Mary’s University School of Law’s Master of Jurisprudence with a concentration in Special Education Advocacy, becoming its first graduate in Fall 2024. The program is the first of its kind in the nation.
From her home in Indiana, Howey was able to attend the program online — her preferred method of learning. During the program, she took Torts, Contracts and Constitutional Law, all of which directly affect the work of a parent advocate.
“There have been advocates who have no idea whether what they have advised their client is appropriate or not,” Howey said. “There have been good issues that were ruined because the advocate did not understand contract law.”
In her career, Howey has authored Special Education: Plain and Simple and a series of books centered on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
She also worked in several different roles, including as a faculty member at William & Mary Law School’s Institute of Special Education Advocacy in Williamsburg, Virginia.
It was there that she met Patricia Roberts, J.D., now Dean of the St. Mary’s School of Law. Their shared history inspired Roberts to host the Special Education Advocacy Summit at St. Mary’s in 2024. The 2025 Special Education Advocacy Summit is scheduled for July 23 through July 26 on the St. Mary’s Law campus.
The summit provided training in special education advocacy for experienced advocates, law students, new attorneys and attorneys new to special education law.
“Her determination in educating others and professionalizing the role of special education advocates is shaping the field at St. Mary’s School of Law,” Roberts said. “She is an inspiration.”
With her degree, Howey hopes to continue her goal of making parent advocacy a regulated field in Indiana and in other states.
While continuing her education in her chosen field, the School of Law also gave her a chance to fulfill a career milestone. “I’ve always wanted to get my master’s degree, but not just to get a master’s degree; I wanted something that fit in with what I’d been doing for the past 40 years,” she said. “This program is exactly what I wanted, and I am proud to be the first graduate in the nation with this degree and this concentration.”
