Raja Marhabar founded The Jonathan Foundation for Children With Learning Disabilities, Inc. in 2001 to help the families of students with disabilities navigate the education system. Her passion for special education rights stems from the unjust experiences her sons had in their school district. Through her own journey with her sons, she gained an incredible amount of expertise, courage, and drive to advocate and change the education system on behalf of other families.
In 2006, Raja was selected and successfully completed the first cohort of the federally-funded Special Education Advocate Training (SEAT) Program. After her completion of the SEAT Program, she was selected to be a member of the Education Panel & Committee for the Juvenile Division of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, which is comprised of special education attorneys and advocates, who are court-appointed to represent the educational needs of children involved in the foster care and probation systems.
Raja continues to advocate for students with disabilities and serves as the CEO of the Jonathan Foundation. Her tireless advocacy efforts earned her the 2021 Diane Lipton Award for Outstanding Advocacy and the 2019 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth Award as well as many other accolades.