ADDA is the Attention Deficit Disorder Association. It provides support groups and resource information focused on, though not limited to, the needs of adults with Attention Deficit Disorder. http://www.add.org/

CHADD is the national organization representing the interests of Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It has chapters throughout the U.S., and an active national office located in Washington, D.C. Its website has various resources related to ADHD, to CHADD and to IDEA. Matt Cohen is a past President-Elect of CHADD. http://www.chadd.org/

Circle of Inclusion is for early childhood service providers and families of young children. This web site offers demonstrations of and information about the effective practices of inclusive educational programs for children from birth through age eight.
www.circleofinclusion.org

COPAA, The Council of Parents Attorneys and Advocates is an organization which has brought together attorneys and advocates who represent parents in disputes with school districts. Its website provides access to various advocacy information, as well as listing information about its annual conference. Matt Cohen is on the board of COPAA. http://www.copaa.net/

Epilepsy Foundation of America has a website with information on epilepsy and the activities of the organization. http://www.efa.org/

Family Center on Technology and Disability
The Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) created the Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD) to provide information about assistive technologies to organizations that work with the families of children with disabilities. Online you can access monthly newsletters, online discussions, and other resources as they are produced. Through the membership database you can search for organizations by state, target disability(ies) and type of organization. The AT database provides reviews of books, articles, studies, and other resources that address a wide array of technologies and disabilities.
www.fctd.info

Get Ready to Read    An Early Literacy screening initiative started by NCLD for parents, educators, healthcare professionals and advocates.
www.getreadytoread.org

Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
(Federal Special Education Law)
www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/regs.html

LD Online provides excellent, up to the day, information on research, legislation, cases, conferences and other practical information on learning disabilities and other disability related material. http://www.ldonline.org/

NASDSE is the National Association of State Directors of Special Education. They have many resources on their list, access to up-to-date information on legislative developments in Washington, various position papers and resources, including a download site for the new IDEA Regulations. http://www.nasdse.org/

National Center for Improved Practice in Special Education through Technology, Materials, and Media: Working with state and local education agencies across the country, including many major cities, the center provides technical assistance, designs intensive professional development programs that improve teaching and assessment, enhances the leadership capacity of district and school administrators, engages families in their children's education, and assists with community-building efforts.
www.edc.org/fsc/ncip

NICHCY is a national disability information clearinghouse. It has succinct, readable articles on all major disabilities and on various aspects of parent advocacy, including excellent summaries of parents' rights under the special education laws. http://www.nichcy.org/

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001   On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The Act is the most sweeping reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) since ESEA was enacted in 1965. It redefines the federal role in K-12 education and will help close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their peers.
www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/esea

Nonverbal Learning Disorders    NLD is a neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain. Reception of nonverbal or performance-based information governed by this hemisphere is impaired in varying degrees, causing problems with visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative, and holistic processing functions.
www.nlda.org

PACER is a Minnesota Parent Training and Information Center, short for Parent Advocacy Center for Educational Rights, which has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education to provide technical assistance to the other Parent Training Centers around the U.S. Its website has lots of information on IDEA '04 and on special education advocacy. http://www.pacer.org/

Project Choices is a technical support project funded by the Illinois State Board of Education to provide assistance to parents and schools interested in implementing inclusive educational practices within their schools. www.projectchoices.org

Sibling Support Project is a national effort dedicated to the life-long concerns of brothers and sisters of people who have special health, developmental, or mental health concerns.  Offers workshops and event information at the following link http://www.siblingsupport.org

TASH is the The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps. It is composed of persons with severe disabilities, their family members, and professionals who work with them. http://www.tash.org/

The Alliance Project Links Page      A large list of disability resources on the web, subdivided into sections for easy browsing.
http://www.taalliance.org/

The Association for Mental Retardation is a nationwide group, including consumers and professionals, that is recognized for setting the standards for diagnosing mental retardation and for providing appropriate planning and services for persons with mental retardation. http://www.aamr.org/

United Cerebral Palsy is located at: http://www.ucpa.org/

FEDERAL RESOURCES

The United States Department of Education has a website, which provides access to a variety of legal resources, announcements on departmental initiatives, interpretive materials and so on. It can be found at:
www.ed.gov/

The federal special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1401 Et. Seq., can be found at:
www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/the_law.html

The federal regulations interpreting the IDEA can be found at:
www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/regs.html

The Code of Federal Regulations, which contains all federal regulations, can be found at:
www.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/cfrassemble.cgi?title=199934

ILLINOIS RESOURCES

Chicago Children's Theater is offering a theater experience for children with special needs, but in particular, The Red Kite Project was created for children with autism.  This multi-sensory theater experience is a one-of-a-kind.  Please check out the link for further details and information about their other productions.   http://www.chicagochildrenstheatre.org/the-red-kite-project.html

Disability Resources  A comprehensive directory of disability resources found on the internet and for Illinois http://www.disabilityresources.org/ILLINOIS.html

Illinois Autism Society: Putting a face on autism and other developmental disorders. http://www.autismillinois.org/

Sibling Support Project is an organization dedicated to the life-long concerns of brothers and sisters of people who have special health, developmental, or mental health concerns.  They offer workshops and counseling sessions in Illinois at the following link: http://www.siblingsupport.org/sibshopsearch?sibshop_country=us&sibshop_state=IL&portal_type%3Alist=BusinessMember

The Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission can be found at: www.state.il.us/igac

The ARC OF Illinois empowers those with disabilities by helping and monitoring information on the political and legislative activities in the state of Illinois and on a national level.  Good information for both families and advocates. http://www.thearcofil.org

TAP, The Autism Program of Illinois is funded by the state and lists many providers, resources, conferences and events taking place around Illinois.  http://www.theautismprogram.org

The Illinois State Board of Education web site can be found at:  www.isbe.state.il.us

The Illinois State Board of Education list of approved private schools can be found at:  www.hbug.k12.il.us/pfs/

The ISBE Assistive Technology Page can be found at:  www.isbe.net/spec-ed/html/assist_tech.htm

INDIANA RESOURCES

 *coming soon