https://simplecast.com Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education Getting your child the support they need at school shouldn’t feel like a fight. But for millions of families, it does. In Zero Reject, an investigative podcast from Understood.org, award-winning journalist Anya Kamenetz looks at how changing federal policies are reshaping special education — and what’s at stake for families trying to access the support their children are legally entitled to. en Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:05:00 +0000 Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:05:13 +0000 https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/zero-reject Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/833a165d-5e3f-4f74-a9ab-ae449f2d94a4/be0431a7-f719-4248-8c69-7e812f8655ad/3000x3000/cropped-1789067280482.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/zero-reject serial Getting your child the support they need at school shouldn’t feel like a fight. But for millions of families, it does. In Zero Reject, an investigative podcast from Understood.org, award-winning journalist Anya Kamenetz looks at how changing federal policies are reshaping special education — and what’s at stake for families trying to access the support their children are legally entitled to. Understood.org false https://feeds.simplecast.com/qiwV7o_C Understood.org podcast@understood.org 622d6170-bdae-4e9d-af89-5d0714a8e2cc 25,000 complaints, and 7 minutes | 2 When the Trump administration gutted the Office for Civil Rights, around 25,000 complaints from families were stuck in limbo. One of them was filed by a mom in southern Indiana on behalf of her two kids with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. She’d spent years fighting for them after facing suspensions, exclusion, and a school that called her son a “bad kid.” 

In this episode, Anya Kamenetz spends a day with that family to see what it actually takes to advocate for a child’s education. The meetings. The paperwork. The years of being told your kid just isn’t trying hard enough. And what it means not that the office meant to protect their kids’ civil rights isn’t answering the phone. 

When a seven-minute lapse in supervision becomes the final straw, one family’s decision reveals just how much is riding on where a family happens to live.

For more on this topic

For a transcript and more resources, visit Zero Reject on Understood.org. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org.


 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:05:00 +0000 podcast@understood.org (Understood.org) https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/zero-reject/25000-complaints When the Trump administration gutted the Office for Civil Rights, around 25,000 complaints from families were stuck in limbo. One of them was filed by a mom in southern Indiana on behalf of her two kids with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. She’d spent years fighting for them after facing suspensions, exclusion, and a school that called her son a “bad kid.” 

In this episode, Anya Kamenetz spends a day with that family to see what it actually takes to advocate for a child’s education. The meetings. The paperwork. The years of being told your kid just isn’t trying hard enough. And what it means not that the office meant to protect their kids’ civil rights isn’t answering the phone. 

When a seven-minute lapse in supervision becomes the final straw, one family’s decision reveals just how much is riding on where a family happens to live.

For more on this topic

For a transcript and more resources, visit Zero Reject on Understood.org. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org.


 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> 25,000 complaints, and 7 minutes | 2 Understood.org 00:39:48 When the Trump administration gutted the Office for Civil Rights, around 25,000 complaints from families were stuck in limbo. One of them was filed by a mom in southern Indiana on behalf of her two kids with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. She’d spent years fighting for them after facing suspensions, exclusion, and a school that called her son a “bad kid.”  In this episode, Anya Kamenetz spends a day with that family to see what it actually takes to advocate for a child’s education. The meetings. The paperwork. The years of being told your kid just isn’t trying hard enough. And what it means not that the office meant to protect their kids’ civil rights isn’t answering the phone.  When a seven-minute lapse in supervision becomes the final straw, one family’s decision reveals just how much is riding on where a family happens to live. When the Trump administration gutted the Office for Civil Rights, around 25,000 complaints from families were stuck in limbo. One of them was filed by a mom in southern Indiana on behalf of her two kids with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. She’d spent years fighting for them after facing suspensions, exclusion, and a school that called her son a “bad kid.”  In this episode, Anya Kamenetz spends a day with that family to see what it actually takes to advocate for a child’s education. The meetings. The paperwork. The years of being told your kid just isn’t trying hard enough. And what it means not that the office meant to protect their kids’ civil rights isn’t answering the phone.  When a seven-minute lapse in supervision becomes the final straw, one family’s decision reveals just how much is riding on where a family happens to live. false full 2 1 716969f0-7aa5-4a99-9238-a21ccccf43e0 Reduction in force | 1 Beth Gellman-Beer spent her whole career fighting for kids with disabilities — first as a student written off as “lazy,” then as a federal civil rights attorney who found her dream job protecting students like her younger self. But on one ordinary night, a phone call changed everything: Her entire office had been eliminated.

In the premiere of Zero Reject, reporter Anya Kamenetz traces Beth’s journey from an unfair fourth-grade classroom to the front lines of a sweeping overhaul at the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights — the agency families turn to when a school isn’t meeting their child’s needs. Anya breaks down the reduction in force that gutted OCR’s staff, what it means for the 25,000 families still waiting for a response to their complaints, and the plan to dismantle the Department of Education altogether. With fewer people to enforce the law, what happens to the students the system was built to protect?

For more on this topic

 For a transcript and more resources, visit Zero Reject on Understood.org. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org.


 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:00:00 +0000 podcast@understood.org (Understood.org) https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/zero-reject/reduction-in-force Beth Gellman-Beer spent her whole career fighting for kids with disabilities — first as a student written off as “lazy,” then as a federal civil rights attorney who found her dream job protecting students like her younger self. But on one ordinary night, a phone call changed everything: Her entire office had been eliminated.

In the premiere of Zero Reject, reporter Anya Kamenetz traces Beth’s journey from an unfair fourth-grade classroom to the front lines of a sweeping overhaul at the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights — the agency families turn to when a school isn’t meeting their child’s needs. Anya breaks down the reduction in force that gutted OCR’s staff, what it means for the 25,000 families still waiting for a response to their complaints, and the plan to dismantle the Department of Education altogether. With fewer people to enforce the law, what happens to the students the system was built to protect?

For more on this topic

 For a transcript and more resources, visit Zero Reject on Understood.org. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org.


 

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Reduction in force | 1 Understood.org 00:30:29 Beth Gellman-Beer spent her whole career fighting for kids with disabilities — first as a student written off as “lazy,” then as a federal civil rights attorney who found her dream job protecting students like her younger self. But on one ordinary night, a phone call changed everything: Her entire office had been eliminated. In the premiere of Zero Reject, reporter Anya Kamenetz traces Beth’s journey from an unfair fourth-grade classroom to the front lines of a sweeping overhaul at the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights — the agency families turn to when a school isn’t meeting their child’s needs. Anya breaks down the reduction in force that gutted OCR’s staff, what it means for the 25,000 families still waiting for a response to their complaints, and the plan to dismantle the Department of Education altogether. With fewer people to enforce the law, what happens to the students the system was built to protect? Beth Gellman-Beer spent her whole career fighting for kids with disabilities — first as a student written off as “lazy,” then as a federal civil rights attorney who found her dream job protecting students like her younger self. But on one ordinary night, a phone call changed everything: Her entire office had been eliminated. In the premiere of Zero Reject, reporter Anya Kamenetz traces Beth’s journey from an unfair fourth-grade classroom to the front lines of a sweeping overhaul at the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights — the agency families turn to when a school isn’t meeting their child’s needs. Anya breaks down the reduction in force that gutted OCR’s staff, what it means for the 25,000 families still waiting for a response to their complaints, and the plan to dismantle the Department of Education altogether. With fewer people to enforce the law, what happens to the students the system was built to protect? false full 1 1 efc74560-ab79-4f8c-89e3-9556db5ad465 Introducing “Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education” Every year, millions of families fight to get their kids the special education services they’re legally owed. And right now, changes under the Trump administration are making that fight even harder. Find out what those changes mean on Zero Reject, a new investigative podcast from Understood.org, hosted by award-winning journalist Anya Kamenetz. 

Over six episodes, Anya follows real families navigating IEPs, evaluations, and federal complaints. She also traces the policies shaping who gets protected and who doesn’t. Meet a civil rights attorney caught in a wave of federal layoffs, a mom whose complaint disappeared into a 25,000-case backlog, and families finding creative ways to make the system work better despite it all. Zero Reject digs into what’s really happening in special education — and what’s at stake for the millions of kids who depend on it. New episodes drop weekly starting September 29. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

For more on this topic

For a transcript and more resources, visit Zero Reject on Understood.org. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org.

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Thu, 10 Sep 2026 20:01:58 +0000 podcast@understood.org (Understood.org) https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/zero-reject Every year, millions of families fight to get their kids the special education services they’re legally owed. And right now, changes under the Trump administration are making that fight even harder. Find out what those changes mean on Zero Reject, a new investigative podcast from Understood.org, hosted by award-winning journalist Anya Kamenetz. 

Over six episodes, Anya follows real families navigating IEPs, evaluations, and federal complaints. She also traces the policies shaping who gets protected and who doesn’t. Meet a civil rights attorney caught in a wave of federal layoffs, a mom whose complaint disappeared into a 25,000-case backlog, and families finding creative ways to make the system work better despite it all. Zero Reject digs into what’s really happening in special education — and what’s at stake for the millions of kids who depend on it. New episodes drop weekly starting September 29. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

For more on this topic

For a transcript and more resources, visit Zero Reject on Understood.org. You can also email us at podcast@understood.org.

Understood is a nonprofit where millions of people who are navigating neurodivergence find clear guidance, practical tools, and people who get it. To help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/podcast-donate.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Introducing “Zero Reject: The Uncertain Future of Special Education” Understood.org 00:01:00 Every year, millions of families fight to get their kids the special education services they’re legally owed. And right now, changes under the Trump administration are making that fight even harder. Find out what those changes mean on Zero Reject, a new investigative podcast from Understood.org, hosted by award-winning journalist Anya Kamenetz.  Over six episodes, Anya follows real families navigating IEPs, evaluations, and federal complaints. She also traces the policies shaping who gets protected and who doesn’t. Meet a civil rights attorney caught in a wave of federal layoffs, a mom whose complaint disappeared into a 25,000-case backlog, and families finding creative ways to make the system work better despite it all. Zero Reject digs into what’s really happening in special education — and what’s at stake for the millions of kids who depend on it. New episodes drop weekly starting September 29. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Every year, millions of families fight to get their kids the special education services they’re legally owed. And right now, changes under the Trump administration are making that fight even harder. Find out what those changes mean on Zero Reject, a new investigative podcast from Understood.org, hosted by award-winning journalist Anya Kamenetz.  Over six episodes, Anya follows real families navigating IEPs, evaluations, and federal complaints. She also traces the policies shaping who gets protected and who doesn’t. Meet a civil rights attorney caught in a wave of federal layoffs, a mom whose complaint disappeared into a 25,000-case backlog, and families finding creative ways to make the system work better despite it all. Zero Reject digs into what’s really happening in special education — and what’s at stake for the millions of kids who depend on it. New episodes drop weekly starting September 29. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. false trailer 1