ARISE Member FAQ

ARISE welcomes new members, parents, advocates, attorneys, educators, community leaders, academics and other stakeholders (with the exception of those currently employed by the DOE) to join the work of improving the experiences and long-term outcomes of students with disabilities in New York City. If you are interested in joining ARISE, please email Chijindu ‘Jindu’ Obiofuma (she/her) at cobiofuma@advocatesforchildren.org.

Joining ARISE means committing to working alongside a diverse group of advocates to support policies, programs and practices to improve the experiences and long-term outcomes of students with disabilities in NYC schools. Joining the coalition also means you agree with our mission statement and are willing to work collaboratively with other members to advance our recommendations. We encourage ARISE members to:

• Attend full coalition meetings as often as their schedules permit
• Join specialized working groups of interest to them
• Participate in external meetings with stakeholders and other advocacy opportunities as they are able
• Share their time, knowledge and experiences while also being open to learning from the insight and experiences of fellow coalition members
• Adhere to our communication guidelines
• Join the ARISE listserv and keep abreast of updates and advocacy opportunities

Please note that we do not currently—nor have we ever—asked for any dues from our members. The coalition is staffed by Advocates for Children of New York, which also covers the basic expenses for the coalition. Jindu Obiofuma coordinates the ARISE Coalition in addition to working as AFC’s Senior Special Education Policy Manager. For any questions about ARISE membership, please email Jindu (she/her) at cobiofuma@advocatesforchildren.org.

Please share this webpage with them and then put them in touch with Jindu Obiofuma at cobiofuma@advocatesforchildren.org.

As long as you are committed to ARISE’s mission, you can join the coalition as a supporter. ARISE supporters do not take part in full coalition meetings or working group meetings, nor are they listed on our website, but they will receive periodic updates and outreach about relevant special education policies and advocacy opportunities through our ARISE supporters’ listserv. They will also be invited to attend certain events relevant to the coalition’s work. To become a supporter, please complete this form.

Here’s our current list of members.