The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand parental or guardian involvement and the challenges and barriers to their involvement in the individual education process (IEP) of middle school students as viewed by special education teachers at an urban middle school in southeastern Wisconsin. This study began with the intent of gaining teacher insight to aid in determining how to develop more ways to include parental or guardian participation in the IEP process for students with disabilities. The conceptual framework for this study was Epstein's model of parental inclusion typologies. Special education teachers' perceptions of parental involvement were invaluable in proposing a solution to the problem of barriers and challenges in gaining parental involvement in IEP for their children in the district of study. The data from 11 participant interviews indicated that the barriers to meaningful parental involvement in this district included a lack of professional development for teachers, negative experiences of the parent or student in the school environment, socioeconomic concerns, lack of technology, language barriers, and marginalization of parents of students with disabilities in the community. The challenges that were identified included difficulty with communication (due to parents' inability or unwillingness), unequal power perceptions in meetings, parents not being viewed as partners with teachers, lack of education for parents about the special education process, and socioeconomic concerns in the community. With these findings, it was recommended that the district implement professional development for teachers on ways to involve parents in all aspects of their students' academic careers and engage in equitable practices for students with and without disabilities. [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.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]