Attorney Christine Tetreault brings a personal perspective to the practice of special education law. Her sister, Debbie, was diagnosed with severe developmental disabilities in 1961. Rejecting the doctors’ admonitions that Debbie should be institutionalized, her parents embarked on a journey to educate and integrate Debbie within the community. Attorney Tetreault grew up observing her parents navigating the intricacies of Chapter 766, the Massachusetts program that was the inspiration for the IDEA. In addition, her family was instrumental in the founding of the supportive community which is now known as Jericho and located on Route 5 in Holyoke. Click here to learn more.

Attorney Tetreault pursued coursework in legal rights of person’s with disabilities at the University of Connecticut School of Law. She continues to update her knowledge by regularly attending in-person and online training from Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, the Federation for Children with Special Needs, and SPAN Parent Advocacy Network. Attorney Tetreault is passionate about ensuring that all children and young adults are provided the appropriate education and environment to allow them to develop to their full potential. She also believes that we never know the extent of a person’s full potential until we have provided them with every opportunity and challenge. She has seen first hand how a person can far exceed expectations! She believes that it is critical for parents, educators, support providers, and students to work in collaboration to confront and remove roadblocks to the student’s growth.

Your child may qualify for special education services for a variety of physical, intellectual, developmental, or emotional conditions, including:

• Cerebral palsy
• Vision or hearing impairments
• ADD, ADHD
• Down Syndrome
• Dyslexia, dyscalculia, reading comprehension and processing disorders
• Autism spectrum disorder, including PDD/NOS, Asperger’s syndrome