Lehigh University's College of Education

Spring 2009

TANYA ALVARADO, ESQ., is an associate with McAndrews Law Offices. She graduated from Cornell University in 1989 and from Boston University School of Law in 1992. She is admitted to practice before the bars of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Alvarado was born in Ecuador, South America, emigrated to the United States at the age of four and is fluent in Spanish. Having two siblings with disabilities, Ms. Alvarado has dedicated her legal career to helping adults and children with disabilities. While at McAndrews Law Offices, Ms. Alvarado has represented numerous clients in the administrative process and in federal court to obtain appropriate educational programs, successful inclusion, tuition at private schools designed for students with disabilities, payment for private evaluations to identify educational needs of the student, equine therapy, and successfully argued a federal court matter supporting the applicability of continuing violations to claims to cases involving compensatory education relief. Since joining McAndrews Law Offices, Ms. Alvarado has thoroughly enjoyed representing her clients, who have continuously inspired her with their ambition to learn and with their many talents, including a three-time medalist in the swimming events of the Special Olympics.

Ms. Alvarado previously worked at the Disabilities Law Project (now Disabilities Rights Network), where she handled federal court matters to secure the independence and successful integration of children and adults with disabilities in our communities. Through her work at Disabilities Law Project, Ms. Alvarado obtained revisions to the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s discriminatory employment policies, obtained necessary overnight skilled nursing care services for a child to avoid aspiration, secured the modification of a zoning policy to remove an architectural barrier, obtained the removal of architectural barriers to check cashing and public transportation sales facilities, brought about a policy revision of a national adoption agency that screened disabled applicants, and obtained a modification of a discriminatory preschool policy.