The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) greatly emphasizes the participation of the child's family during the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Parents and/or caregivers are considered one of the most essential members of their child's IEP team. Their involvement benefits their child's overall academic success. Unfortunately, the full involvement of parents does not always occur and the reasons for their lack of participation can be many and varied. The IEP process can be a truly overwhelming experience for families with children with special needs, especially for those who are culturally diverse. It is the job of special education professionals and teachers to understand the importance of collaborating with the family and the strategies used to make them feel welcomed and part of their child's IEP team. To understand what professionals can do to improve collaboration with culturally diverse families, it is helpful to know what some of their perspectives are regarding their experiences with the IEP process. Lusa Lo (2008) conducted a study that investigated the level of participation and experiences of Chinese families in the IEP meeting and found that many of the participants were dissatisfied with the experience. The first challenge they reported was the language barrier. Although a translator was present, she did not have special education training and therefore could not translate commonly used terms for families. Another issue reported was that they felt disrespected and that their opinions were not valued. Professionals arrived late or left early making families feel like they weren't important. Unfortunately, this study is just a small example of some of the challenges that culture… middle of paper… but there are many things that need to be considered to build a trusting and positive climate. relation. Professionals must be respectful and aware of the values ​​and beliefs of the family they work with by researching background information about their culture before meeting the family. Professionals must provide culturally diverse families with the skills and knowledge they need to understand the special education system and help them become advocates for their children. Finally, schools should offer training courses not only to parents, but also to professionals, to help them develop and learn new skills. While there are many barriers to parent participation, with all of these strategies combined, schools are more likely to see greater family involvement and parents feel like a valued member of their child's IEP team..