Procedural safeguards have been in place for years with the intention of protecting the rights of parents and their children with disabilities. Despite the promises of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, parents have not been given the tools they need to be active participants in their child's special education. Parents of children with disabilities must be informed of their rights and responsibilities in documents that are cogent and concise and clearly communicate the expectation that parents will advocate for their children. Review of the documents currently used to inform parents of their rights, as well as relevant literature on the topic, indicated that parents are not truly being empowered to give informed consent. This study examined parent satisfaction with a procedural safeguards document intentionally designed for parents of children with disabilities with attention to usability and readability ("Making it My IDEA"). Survey and interview data collected in this study demonstrated that parents of children with disabilities see a need for re-designed documents and need information from the schools that is functional and pertinent. Parents involved in this study unanimously preferred the re-designed document. The implementation of rights notices that authentically inform parents could bring about a shift in the culture of special education and include all parents as active participants in their child's special education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]