Wednesday, you were eating things that
you hadn't gotten to on Monday," Libutti
said. "We were able to assist a very
motivated single mom to effect lasting
change on her son's education, self-
esteem and transition to adulthood. She
also left a lasting impression on us and
taught us to take a moment to be thankful
and experience joy."
The Lewis Johs Special Education
Group has helped many families of
students with disabilities obtain the free
and appropriate public education that
they are entitled to under IDEA. Libutti,
a founding member of the group, and her
colleague Maggie Cowley, said that often
language barriers and financial need put
families at a disadvantage in dealing
with the New York City Department of
Education (DOE) to secure a proper
education for children with learning and
developmental disabilities.
"Lewis Johs has been very supportive
of us taking these cases that scream out
for justice," Libutti said.
Marie came to them seeking a
state-approved school for her son, Alex,
who Libutti and Cowley described as
a non-verbal gentle giant who likes to
cook and loves animals. In January
2014, Libutti and her team prevailed in
a hearing, securing Alex a placement at
the Westchester Exceptional Children's
School, Libutti said.
Libutti and Cowley bring to Alex's
case, and others, not only deep
could offer to the firm, whose Special
Education Group had worked tirelessly
to gain her son access to a state funded
right afforded to him under the federal
Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA).
According to Eileen Libutti,
managing partner of the firm's New York
City office, every member of the firm's
Manhattan office sat around the table
feasting. "This one woman who didn't
have much money managed to bring us
all together as a community in a way
we don't often get to. For every lunch
personal passion. As a child, after
seeing "Children of a Lesser God,"
Libutti dreamed of being a lawyer for the
hearing impaired. Now, as a mother of
8-year-old twins, she draws fulfillment
not only from helping the students, but
also their parents. "We have seen some
extraordinary mommies and daddies and
all they want is what's appropriate for
their child to learn," she said. "To help
them avoid that feeling of desperation is
pretty rewarding."
Cowley went to law school, forever
changed by a childhood memory.
As a teenager, she was diagnosed
with a hip deformity which required
multiple surgeries and confined her
to a wheelchair for about six months.
"That feeling of how badly you want to
do things for yourself stuck with me,"
Cowley said. "I wrote on my application
to law school about how I wanted to fight
for people with disabilities."
Another founding member of the
group, Jennifer Frankola, was a former
full time public school teacher, and
therefore understands and appreciates
the needs of students and their families,
as well as the complexities of the
education system.
Now, Libutti, Frankola and Cowley
dedicate their talents to representing
families in need as much as possible.
member firm Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles, arrived at the firm's New York City office
with her 17-year-old son, Alex, carrying tubs filled with food. One by one, they
presented dishes in a traditional Haitian Thanksgiving feast four kinds of pasta,
salmon, turkey, rice, fish, pie and much more.