Who Are We?

Northwest Special Education Services was founded by Karen L. Chase, MS, in 2007 to help parents and caregivers advocate for their special needs children. Karen holds a Master's Degree in Special Education from the University of Oregon, and is a licensed teacher in the State of Oregon.

Karen has worked in the Oregon Public School System for over 20 years, beginning her career as a classroom assistant in the Eugene area and then as a certified teacher. Karen has a passion for teaching and an exceptional ability to connect with children. Her extensive training and experience with children has equipped her to help students who have substantial obstacles to learning make great strides in their education.

Karen's experience as a teacher in the public school system exposed the many limitations that public schools have when addressing the needs of children falling behind. Obviously, having a child that is struggling in school and becoming more and more frustrated can be heart wrenching for a parent. This was Karen's motivation for opening "Road" Scholar Tutoring Service, to provide students with a safe and effective way to learn.

It is through this experience that Karen understood that although she was helping the children, she also needed to help the parents and caregivers of these children learn how to do the best thing for the child. Karen started NWSES as a venue for helping parents and caregivers as they manage the often difficult process of educating a special needs child, and to teach parents how to advocate for their special needs child.

Karen is a Member of the Council for Exceptional Children, a Member of the National Tutoring Association, a Member of the Association for Direct Instruction, was Nominated for Teacher of the Year in 2003, has expertise with Autism, ADHD, LD, Dyslexia, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, and is an author, speaker, presenter, and trainer.