Disease/Disability Information

This is a self-help program for parents of children of all ages who have disabilities. Services include disease/disability information, legislative advocacy, school system advocacy and specialized information and referral. There are no geographic restrictions.

The program serves as a resource for parents who want assistance and support to obtain educational, medical and other services for their child. The goal is to help families of special children develop the knowledge needed to make informed decisions about their child's development and education and the skills needed to advocate for the rights of their child.

Services include specialized information and referral to resources that assist children who have disabilities, educational workshops for parents and professionals about the impact of a disability on a child, information about the current legal rights of disabled children and pending legislation, support from other parents who have similar problems and concerns, an advocacy training for parents and interested professionals as well as individualized training and guidance by phone for parents who are dealing with complex situations, and a library which contains books and other material related to children and disabilities. Children and adults can explore assistive technology in the tech center.

In addition, the program provides information and technical assistance for groups which are interested in working to heighten awareness in local communities about people who have disabilities, publishes a bimonthly newsletter, and can provide speakers for community groups. The educational workshops can be presented in local communities in the southern portion of the state for groups of 20 or more. The information and referral component of the program can assist people who want information about a variety of types of services including public education programs, health services, private physicians, speech therapists, psychologists, private schools and other resources.