Child Disabilities and Special Needs Web Sites
ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center (ARCH)
Chapel Hill Training-Outreach Project
800 Eastowne Dr., Suite 105
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
The mission of the ARCH National Respite Network is to assist and promote the development of quality respite and crisis care programs; to help families locate respite and crisis care services in their communities; and to serve as a strong voice for respite in all forums.
The ARCH National Respite Network includes the National Respite Locator Service, a service to help caregivers and professionals locate respite services in their community,and the National Respite Coalition, a service that advocates for preserving and promoting respite in policy and programs at the national, state, and local levels.
ARCH is a service of the Chapel Hill Training-Outreach Project, Inc. (http://www.chtop.org/).
Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):
|
Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD)
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services/ACF
Mail Stop HHH 405 - D
370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW
Washington, DC 20447
The major goal of the Developmental Disabilities Programs of the ADD is to partner with State governments, local communities, and the private sector to ensure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of -- and have access to -- culturally competent services, support, and other assistance and opportunities that promote independence, productivity, and inclusion in the community. The programs address all facets of the life cycle: diagnosis, early intervention, therapy, education, training, employment, and community living and leisure activities.
Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):
|
Adopt America Network
National Headquarters
1025 N. Reynolds Road
Toledo, OH 43615
The Adopt America Network, a private adoption exchange, is supported by donations, grants, and the purchase of services. Their mission is to find permanent and loving adoptive homes for special-needs children who are awaiting adoption.
|
Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance (AAICAMA)
American Public Human Services Association
810 First Street NE
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20002-4267
The Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance facilitates the administration of the ICAMA. The Compact is the legal mechanism by which member States regulate and coordinate the interstate delivery of services to children with special needs who are adopted pursuant to adoption assistance agreements. Along with advocating State participation in the ICAMA, the Association provides technical and legal assistance, education and training, and materials on practice and policy issues.
|
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
1010 Wayne Avenue
Suite 920
Silver Spring, MD 20910
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (formerly the American Association of University Affiliated Programs for Persons with Developmental Disabilities) promotes and supports the national interdisciplinary network of university centers on disabilities. The network includes University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD), Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs, and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (DDRC). Through its members, AUCD serves as a resource for local, State, national, and international agencies, organizations, and policy makers concerned about individuals with developmental and other disabilities and their families.
Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):
|
Child Abuse and Neglect Disability Outreach Project (CAN-Do)
Arc Riverside
8138 Mar Vista Court
Riverside, CA 92504-4324
General Scope: CAN/Do is the Child Abuse and Neglect Disabilities Outreach Project. Under funding from the California Governor's Office on Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP), CAN/Do is seeking to establish Statewide collaboration through meetings of a multi-agency Think Tank, to compile and disseminate "best practices" so that agencies and organizations can succeed in the mission of preventing the abuse of children with disabilities, and to improve data-gathering so that those who work with children with disabilities, and are concerned about child abuse, will know the size and scope of the problem.
Training Specific: One of CAN-Do's objectives is to provide State-of-the-art training. To achieve this goal, the CAN-Do Project is searching to identify the best training technologies on child abuse and children with disabilites. The goal is to create a state-of-the-art training system that can be customized and disseminated Statewide, and later nationwide. For more information about this training resource, see the CAN-Do website at http://disability-abuse.com/cando/abt.htm.
|
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Children's Bureau/ACYF
1250 Maryland Avenue, SW -- Eighth Floor
Washington, DC 20024
Child Welfare Information Gateway connects professionals and the general public to information and resources targeted to the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families.
A service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Welfare Information Gateway provides access to programs, research, laws and policies, training resources, statistics, and much more.
|
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
PO Box 25173
St. Louis, MO 65801
|
Deaf Adoption News Service (DANS)
The Deaf Adoption News Service is a special interest group of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD). It is a text-only, free listing service for waiting foreign and domestic deaf and severely hearing-impaired children.
|
Little People of America Adoption Committee (LPA)
5289 NE Elam Young Parkway
Suite F - 700
Hillsboro, OR 97124
The purpose of the Little People of America Adoption Committee (LPA) is to find a loving home for every dwarf child. The role of LPA is to act as a link between prospective parents and adoption agencies that represent dwarf children. LPA is not an adoption agency, but a referral source only. By outreaching to adoption agencies, doctors, hospitals, geneticists, and others, LPA is are able to locate available dwarf children for adoption and prospective parents who are interested in adopting them.
|
Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)
Parklawn Building Room 18-05
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau strives to provide national leadership and to work in partnership with States, communities, private agencies, and families to strengthen the maternal and child health (MCH) infrastructure, assure the availability and use of medical homes, and build knowledge and human resources to assure continued improvement in the health, safety, and well-being of the MCH population. The MCH population includes all America's women, infants, children, adolescents and their families, fathers, and children with special health care needs.
Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):
|
National Adoption Center (NAC)
1500 Walnut Street
Suite 701
Philadelphia, PA 19102
General Scope: The National Adoption Center expands adoption opportunities for children throughout the United States, particularly children with special needs and from minority cultures.
Training Specific: Through the Learning Center, adoptive parents and prospective adopters can take an online parenting course, The Adoption Roadmap, to expand and enrich their understanding of adoption. The course focuses on parenting skills, especially those needed to raise children with special needs, advocacy strategies to help a family identify and secure services for its child, and an appreciation of adoption as a distinct form of family building. The Learning Center is funded by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. For additional information, please see http://www.adopt.org/whatwedo/index.html#The%20Learning%20Center.
Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):
|
National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption (NCWRCA)
Spaulding for Children
16250 Northland Drive -- Suite 120
Southfield, MI 48075
General Scope:The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption (NCWRCA) assists States, Tribes, and other Federally funded child welfare agencies improve their ability to ensure the safety, well being, and permanency of abused and neglected children through adoption and post-legal adoption services, program planning, and policy development.
The Center, which believes every child is adoptable and every child deserves a permanent family, provides training, consultation, and informational materials for professionals, organizations, and parents.
The Center is a service of the Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Training Specific: Curricula are available on assessment and preparation of children and families for adoption, cultural competency in child welfare, and adoption support and preservation services.
|
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)
P.O. Box 1492
Washington, DC 20013-1492
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) serves as a central source of information on disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth; IDEA (the law authorizing special education); No Child Left Behind (as it relates to children with disabilities), and research-based information on effective educational practices.
NICHCY services are made possible through funding from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education.
|
National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS)
900 17th Street NW
Suite 910
Washington, DC 20006
The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is dedicated to eliminating birth defects caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy and to improving the quality of life for those affected by fetal alcohol syndrome/fetal alcohol effect. NOFAS is committed to raising public awareness of fetal alcohol syndrome and to developing and implementing innovative ideas in prevention, intervention, education, and advocacy in communities nationwide. NOFAS also operates a national clearinghouse for regional, State, and local fetal alcohol syndrome organizations.
Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):
|
National Respite Coalition (NRC)
4016 Oxford Street
Annandale, VA 22003
The mission of the National Respite Coalition, an initiative of the ARCH National Respite Network, is to secure quality, accessible, planned, and crisis respite services for all families and caregivers who need them to strengthen and stabilize families and enhance child and adult safety. The Coalition works to achieve these goals by preserving and promoting respite in policy and programs at the national, State, and local levels.
|
Partnership for People with Disabilities Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
700 East Franklin Street, 10th Floor
Richmond, VA 23284
General Scope: The Partnership for People with Disabilities, formerly known as the Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities (VIDD), is recognized by the Federal Administration on Developmental Disabilities as a university center for excellence in developmental disabilities. The Partnership currently operates more than 20 Federal and State programs, supporting individuals with disabilities and their families.
Training Specific: In collaboration with seven University Centers for Excellence (UCEs) and five Protection and Advocacy (P&As) Agencies across the nation, the Maltreatment Education for Health Professionals project addresses deficits in the knowledge and skills of health professionals in responding to the maltreatment of individuals with disabilities. This three-year project is developing, field-testing, and disseminating state-of-the-art distance education materials (funded by the Association on Developmental Disabilities and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) to help prevent, identify, and report abuse and neglect of persons with disabilities. For more information about this project, see http://www.maltreatment.vcu.edu/info/.
Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):
- Abuse and Neglect of Children with Disabilities: A Collaborative Response - http://www.vcu.edu/partnership/abuse_neglect.html
The Abuse and Neglect of Children with Disabilities Training Project developed an interdisciplinary curriculum for educators, child protection workers, law enforcement officers, and parents of children with disabilities.
- Abuse and Neglect of Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities: - http://www.maltreatment.vcu.edu/info/
A Web Course for Health Professionals and Other Professionals Serving Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities
|
SAMHSA Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Center for Excellence (FASD Center)
2101 Gaither Road, Suite 600
Rockville, MD 20850
The mission of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence is to facilitate the development and improvement of FASD prevention, treatment, and care systems in the United States by providing national leadership and facilitating collaboration in the field.
The FASD Center is a Federal initiative of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
|
Spaulding for Children (SFC)
16250 Northland Drive, Suite 120
Southfield, MI 48075
Spaulding for Children finds permanent homes for children that have been in the foster care and adoption system the longest. It specializes in finding and training adoptive families for the placement of special needs children.
The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption (NCWRCA), part of the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network, is located at Spaulding. For more information, see the separate listing for the NCWRCA.
Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):
|
|
