Links to Resources for Families | The Arc of Palm Beach County

Links To Resources For Families

There are a huge number of resources available to families dealing with developmental disabilities, so many that it can be overwhelming. The following links are provided for informational purposes only and are not in any way endorsements. We offer them to open the door for you to the kind of information and support that is there for you. If you learn of a program or information source that is not listed here, and you believe it should be, please send us a comment. We are always adding to our resource files.

Website links by topic:

Advocacy	Bullying	Airlines
Especially for Fathers	Education and Individual Education Plans (IEPs)	Government & Agencies
Employment	Palm Beach County School District	Specific Disabilities

Advocacy

ADA Center of the Department of Education is the leading resource on the Americans with Disabilities Act and related disability rights laws. www.disabilityresource.org
ADA Watch is a rapid response network of hundreds of organizations united to advance the rights of people with disabilities. www.adawatch.org
Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities, Inc. provides Protection and Advocacy services in Florida. www.advocacycenter.org
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)-Association devoted to working with and for individuals with an intellectual disability or developmental disabilities. www.aaidd.org/
Americans with Disabilities Act Technical Assistance - www.adata.org
Arc of Florida advocates for people with developmental disabilities to be included in all aspects of their community. www.arcflorida.org/news.php
Arc of the United States advocates for full participation of all children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. www.thearc.org
Center for Self-Determination- Interactive site of organizations committed to the principals of self-determination. www.self-determination.com
CILO - Coalition for Independent Living Options - www.cilo.org
Disability Nation - Disability Nation brings you the latest from the disability community and features news and interviews covering important issues in an audio magazine form.
www.disabilitynation.net
Easter Seals - www.easterseals.com
Florida Center for Inclusive Communities - www.flfcic.fmhi.usf.edu
Florida Commission on Human Rights - fchr.state.fl.us/
Florida Developmental Disabilities Council - promotes meaningful participation in life for Floridians with developmental disabilities. www.fddc.org
Florida Family Care Council - advocates, educates, and empowers individuals with developmental disabilities. www.fccflorida.org
Florida Statewide Advocacy Council - a consumer protection mechanism for people receiving services from state agencies. www.floridasac.org
Florida’s Voice on Developmental Disabilities - advocates for a full continuum of educational, medical, recreational, residential, therapeutic, and vocational options based upon individual needs and choices. www.floridasvoice.org
Floridians for the Future of the Developmentally Disabled - created to help elect public officials who are committed to advancing legislation that benefits this special population. www.ffddnews.com
Florida Youth Council - www.floridayouthcouncil.com
National Council on Independent Living - www.ncil.org
National Disability Rights Network. www.napas.org
Palm Healthcare Foundation Inc. - www.palmhealthcare.org
Self Advocates Becoming Empowered - www.sabeusa.org
TASH - an international grassroots leader in advancing inclusive communities. www.tash.org

Airlines

The Air Care Alliance lists non-profit volunteer flying groups to provide all possible help to patients, communities, and others with needs. www.aircareall.org
Air Charity Network provides access for people in need seeking free air transportation to specialized health care facilities or distant destinations due to family, community or national crisis. http://aircharitynetwork.org/
Angel Flight SE arranges free air transportation, via private aircraft, for those in medical and financial need, needing to travel long distance to access health care. www.angelflightse.org
Challenge Air's mission is to provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to special needs children and youth through the gift of flight. www.challengeair.com
Lifeline Pilots provides people in medical and financial need with access to free air transportation on small aircraft to distant health care facilities. www.lifelinepilots.org
Miracle Flights for Kids is dedicated to helping very sick children overcome financial obstacles that prevent them from accessing proper medical care and second opinions. www.miracleflights.org

Bullying

Bullying and Disability Harassment- Recognizing and dealing with school bullying of children with disabilities.
http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/instructionalmaterials/p/serousbullies.htm
National Center for Bullying Prevention - Bullying Prevention Project unites communities nationwide to prevent bullying through creative, relevant, and interactive resources. www.pacer.org/bullying/index.asp

Especially For Fathers

DadVocates - involves fathers in the lives of children with disabilities. http://www.fndfl.org/projects/pen/pdf/FFFvol1issue4year07.pdf

Education And Individual Education Plans (IEPs)

Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) - The Association of University Centers on Disabilities is a membership organization that supports and promotes a national network of university -based interdisciplinary programs.
www.aucd.org/template/index.cfm
Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Service Clearinghouse Info Center-
www.fldoe.org/ese/pub-home.asp
Circle of Inclusion- This web site offers demonstrations of effective practices of inclusive educational programs for children from birth through age eight. Information is available in Spanish, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. www.circleofinclusion.org
Clearinghouse Information Center - www.fldoe.org/ese/clerhome.asp
Family Cafe - www.familycafe.net
Florida Dept of Education- The Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services administers programs for students with disabilities. www.fldoe.org/ese/
Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS) - a network of 19 Associate and 4 Specialized Centers in Florida which provide support services to educators, parents, and other professionals who work with exceptional students. http://www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/ESE/fdlrs.htm (Find parents’ services to locate specific needs. *Parents as liaisons is a very helpful resource for IEP negotiations.)
Florida Virtual Schools (FLVS). Offers free tuition and hundreds of classes for High School. http://www.onlineschools.org/guides/Florida
Florida Virtual Schools (FLVS). Offers College classes and degrees. http://www.onlineschools.org/guides/
Fl DOE ESE Publications - www.fldoe.org
FYI Transition Project - www.fyitransition.org
Homeschooling- Information on home schooling and non-traditional private school support.
www.familytreeprivateschool.comHomeschooling
KIND Foundation - www.kindfoundation.org
Literacy Coalition – Tutoring in reading, after-school and adult reading www.literacypbc.org
Office of Special Education Programs - www.ed.gov
Project 10 - Transition Education Network - www.project10.info
Renaissance Learning Center - Charter School Serving Children with Autism (ages 3 - 14). www.rlc2000.com
Survey for parents of Students with an Individual Educational Plan. Survey Link
Transition Out Of High School- The Florida Dept of Education offers services for students with disabilities transitioning from High School into an adult setting. For more information, please contact Janet Adams at janet.adams@fldoe.org.

Universal Education/Inclusive Education
Center for Applied Special Technology - www.cast.org
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundation for Early Learning - www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel
Circle of Inclusion - www.circleofinclusion.org
Informed Parents United Together! - www.iput.org
Kids Together - www.kidstogether.org
Southeast Regional Resource Center - www.rrfcnetwork.org
TASH - www.tash.org
The Access Center: Improving outcomes for all students K - 8 - www.k8accesscenter.org
The Inclusion Press - www.inclusion.com
The Whole Schooling Consortium - www.wholeschooling.net

Assistive Technology
Bookshare - This site enables people with visual or other print disabilities to legally share scanned books - www.bookshare.org
Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology - www.faast.org
National Assistive Technology Technical Assistance Partnership (NATTAP) - www.resna.org
National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards (NIMAS) - www.nimas.cast.org
Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (National Assistive Technology Project) - www.nls.org
Project Participate - www.projectparticipate.org
The Public School's Special Education System as an Assistive Technology Funding Source: The Cutting Edge - www.nls.org/specedat.htm

Assistive Technology Products
AlphaSmart, Inc. (Portable Word Processor) - www.alphasmart.com
C-Pen (Handheld Scanner) - www.cpen.com
Franklin, Inc. (Talking Dictionary) - www.franklin.com
Inspiration, Inc. (Concept Mapping) - www.inspiration.com
Kindle (Electronic Book) - www.kindleamazon.com
Quicktionary Pen (Scan and Read Pen) - www.wizcomtech.com
Wikki Stix (Self-stick Manipulative) - www.wikkistix.com
Write:Out Loud (Talking Word Processor) - www.donjohnston.com

Educational Resources
Communication Aids - www.do2learn.com
Current events with visual cues and text to speech - www.news-2-you.com
Free Text to Speech Reader - www.readplease.com
Fun activities by grade for your kid - www.iknowthat.com
Graphic Organizers Education Place -www.eduplace.com
Graphic Organizers Ed Helper - www.edhelper.com
Lakeshore learning products - www.lakeshorelearning.com
More fun activities for kids - www.kidsknowit.com
Pixwriter and Picture It Slater Software - www.slatersoftware.com
Pocket full of therapy (fidgets) - www.pfot.com
Rays Educational Software - www.rayslearning.com
Reading A-Z - www.readinga-z.com
Short videos with subjects - www.brainpop.com
Starfall - www.starfall.com
Switches and brain activated - www.donjohnston.com

Comprehension
Babel Fish - Assits with translation of materials when English is not primary language - www.babelfish.yahoo.com
CAST eReader - www.cast.org
Cliffsnotes - www.cliffsnotes.com
Free Book Notes - www.freebooknotes.com
Idictate -www.idactate.com
Library of Congress - www.loc.gov
Novel Guide - www.novelguide.com
Paragraph Writing - www.paragraphpunch.com
PwWebSpeak - www.soundlinks.com
Spark Notes - www.sparknotes.com
Text aloud - www.readaloud.com
Windows of Universe - www.windows.ucar.edu

Math
Create a Graph - www.nces.ed.gov
IntelliMathics - www.intellitools.com
WebMath - www.webmath.com

Science

Windows to the Universe - www.windows.ucar.edu

Government & Agencies

Agency for Health Care Administration - www.ahca.myflorida.com
Agency for Persons with Disabilities- This agency supports persons with developmental disabilities in living, learning and working in their individual communities. www.apd.myflorida.com
Alpert Jewish Family and Children Services - www.jfcspb.org
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act information and President Obama's Educational goals - www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education
Best Buddies International - www.bestbuddies.org
Boys Town - www.boystown.org
Bridges for Kids - www.bridges4kids.org
Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) - www.centerforautism.com
Center for Disease Control - www.cdc.gov
The Center for Personal Assistance Services- provides research, training, dissemination and technical assistance on issues of personal assistance services in the United States. www.pascenter.org
Children's Medical Services- A collection of programs for Florida children with special needs. Each program and service is family centered and designed to help children with a variety of conditions and needs. www.cms-kids.com
Council for Exceptional Children - www.cec.sped.org
Disability Scoop - www.disabilityscoop.com
Disability Specific Resources - www.fndfl.org/disabiliyspecificresources.asp
FACTS.org - Sponsored by the Department of Education and the Florida Center for Advising & Academic Support, this free online advising website helps students plan and track their education progress from middle school through college. www.facts.org
Family Support Center on Disability - www.familysupportclearinghouse.org
Florida Disability Disaster Plan- Disaster can strike without warning. It is important for citizens with disabilities to plan ahead for an emergency situation and know what to do in the event of an emergency. www.floridadisaster.org/disability
DISABILITY.GOV - The official federal government site connecting the Disability Community to Information and Opportunities. www.disability.gov
Early Steps Program (Affiliate of Easter Seals) - Children birth to three - early support and education. www.fl.easterseals.com
Family Network on Disabilities of Florida- a statewide network of families and individuals of all ages who may be at-risk, have disabilities, or have special needs and their families, professionals, and concerned citizens. www.fndfl.org/
Florida Disabled Outdoors Association- enriches lives through accessible inclusive recreation and active leisure for all. www.fdoa.org
Florida Medicaid - www.mymedicaid-florida.com
Governor's Commission on Disabilities- The official state clearinghouse for programs and information for the disabled. dms.myflorida.com/other_programs/governor_s_commission_on_disabilities
JCC of Boca Raton - www.levisjcc.org
JCC of The Palm Beaches - www.jcconline.com
Jewish Association for Residential Care - www.jarc.org
Legal Aid - www.legalaidpbc.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness of Palm Beach County (NAMI) - www.namipbc.org
National Council on Disability - www.ncd.gov
National Disability Rights Network Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Disabilities - www.napas.org
National Federation of The Blind - www.nfbflorida.org
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disablities - www.nichcy.org
National Parent Network on Disabilities - www.npnd.org
National Resources - www.disabilityinfo.gov
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) - www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/index.html
Pete and Pam Wright - Wright's Law - www.wrightslaw.com
Refinance & Mortgage Guide for People with Disabilties www.refinancemortgagerates.org/mortgage-guide-for-people-with-disabilities/
Social Security Disability Resource Center - provides information on the US federal government's two disability benefit programs, title II social security disability benefits and title 16 SSI disability benefits. www.ssdrc.com
Special Education in Plain English - www.specialed.us
U.S Department of Education - www.ed.gov
Visions Native American Families Resources -www.fndfl.org

Employment

The Able Trust also known as the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities, annually assists 2,000 Floridians with disabilities fair employment opportunities. www.abletrust.org
Applying for Disability Assistance- The Division of Disability Determinations makes decisions on the eligibility of Florida citizens applying for state and federal disability benefits. http://www.doh.state.fl.us/DD/DDdescription.html
Florida Commission on Human Resources- It is against the law to discriminate in employment on the basis of disability. Complaints should be filed at fchr.state.fl.us
Get Help In Understanding Work Incentives- This web site offers a state-by-state list of contacts to help people who receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and are interested in working or learning more about how to maximize a young person's options when he or she goes to work. secure.ssa.gov/apps10/oesp/providers.nsf/bystate
Going To Work- A Guide To Social Security Benefits And Employment For Young People With Disabilities- Provides basic information about Social Security disability and health benefit programs, and explains how to maximize a young person's options when he or she goes to work. www.communityinclusion.org/article.php
Hire Gauge - Hiring people with disabilities means a lot to your company, your community, your customer. Hire Gauge calculates the bottom-line financial - and cultural - benefits of thinking beyond the label. www.thinkbeyondthelabel.com/Learning-Tools/HireGauge.aspx
Job Board - Connect with employers that get it and are looking for you. www.thinkbeyondthelabel.com/job-board/job-board.aspx
My Next Move - an interactive tool for job seekers and students to learn more about their career options. www.mynextmove.org
ONET, Online (Occupational information network) - The nation's primary source of occupational information. www.onetonline.org
Partnerships Between State vs. Agencies and Employment Networks- The Partnership Plus Online Toolkit is designed to assist State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies in taking advantage of the new service of delivery option under the New Ticket to Work program. partnershipplus.cessi.net/
Seagull Industries - Advocacy and a variety of educational, social, vocational and residential programs designed to encourage achievement, self-reliance and economic independence www.seagull.org
Social Security Administration- Website for people receiving Social Security disability benefits who want to return to work.
www.choosework.net/
The South Florida Workforce offers youth with disabilities access to all of the services available through the youth program with training customized to meet their special needs. www.southfloridaworkforce
Think College: College options for people with intellectual disabilities - This website is designed to share what is currently going on, provide resources and strategies, let you know about training events, and give you ways to talk to others. www.thinkcollege.net
What Can You Do Campaign - a collaborative effort between several disability and business organizations that seek to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace. www.whatcan youdo campaign.org/blog/index.php/what-will-you-do
Workforce Alliance - www.pbcalliance.com
Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program - The WOTC is a federal income tax credit that provides incentives to private for-profit employers to encourage the hiring of individuals from certain targeted groups of job seekers who traditionally have difficulty finding employment. www.floridajobs.org/business-growth-and-partnerships/for-employers/find-tax-credit-and-incentive-programs/work-opportunity-tax-credit-program
Work Opportunities Unlimited - www.WorkOpportunities.net

Palm Beach County School District

Assistive Technology- The Palm Beach County School District offers special equipment to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of children with developmental disabilities: who have difficulty accessing the curriculum. www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/ESE
Autism Spectrum Disorder- The Palm Beach County School District offers programming in pre-K through age 22 for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/ESE/autism.htm
Child Find - Evaluations, screening and diagnosing children. http://www.palmbeachschools.org/ese/fdlrscf.asp
Florida Inclusion Network- provides students with significant disabilities needed aids and support services in age-appropriate classrooms in their neighborhood schools to prepare them for productive lives as full members of society. www.palmbeachschools.org/ese/fin.asp
Palm Beach County School District- www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us

Specific Disabilities

AutismCares - www.autismcares.org/
Autism Society of America - www.autism-society.org
Autism Speaks - www.autismspeaks.org
Autism Spectrum - www.autismspeaks.com
Charge Syndrome - www.chargesyndrome.org
Cross Disabilities - www.accesslife.com
Down Syndrome - www.goldcoastdownsyndrome.org
Epilepsy - www.epilepsyfoundation.org
Fetal Alcohol and Drug Syndrome - www.nofas.org
Lighthouse for The Blind - www.lighthousepalmbeaches.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness - www.nami.org/
National Orginization for Rare Disorders - www.rarediseases.org
Muscular Dystrophy - www.mda.org
National Attention Deficit Disorder Association -www.add.org
National Spinal Cord Injury Association - www.spinalcord.org
Prader-Willi Syndrome - www.pwsausa.org
Rett Syndrome - www.rettsyndrome.org
Shaken Baby Syndrome - www.dontshake.org
Sicklecell Anemia - www.sicklecelldisease.org.
Spina Bifida - www.spinabifida.com
Triple X (Trisomy) - www.triplo-x.org
United Cerebral Palsy - www.ucp.org

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Palm Beach County School District- www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us