Family and Sibling Supports Resources | Course Companion for Children with Disabilities, Fifth Edition

Resources for Children with Disabilities
Developed by Margaret Rose

Family and Sibling Supports

Beach Center on Families and Disability
University of Kansas
3111 Haworth Hall
Lawrence, KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-7600
Fax: 785-864-7605
E-mail: beach@dole.lsi.ukans.edu

Research and training center that disseminates information about families with members who have developmental disabilities. Publishes newsletter and offers many other publications.

Caring for the Special Child

Web site provides information and links on topics related to education and disabilities such as school placements, community programs, and camps.

The Compassionate Friends
Post Office Box 3696
Oak Brook, IL 60522-3696
Phone: 877-969-0010
Fax: 630-990-0246
E-mail: nationaloffice@compassionatefriends.org

National and worldwide organization that supports and aids parents in the positive resolution of the grief experienced upon the death of their child; fosters the physical and emotional health of bereaved parents and siblings.

Exceptional Parent
65 East Route 4
River Edge, NJ 07661
Phone: 201-489-4111
Fax: 201-489-0074

This magazine, published since 1971, provides straightforward, practical information for families and professionals involved in the care of children and young adults with disabilities; many articles are written by parents. (For subscriptions: Post Office Box 2078, Marion, OH 43306-2178; phone: 877-372-7368.)

Family Village: A Global Community of Disability-Related Resources
Waisman Center
University of Wisconsin–Madison
1500 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53705-2280
E-mail: familyvillage@waisman.wisc.edu

This web site serves as a global community that integrates information, resources, and communication opportunities on the Internet for people with cognitive and other disabilities, for their families, and for people that provide services and support to these individuals.

Federation for Children with Special Needs
1135 Tremont Street
Suite 240
Boston, MA 02120
Phone: 800-331-0688 (in MA only); 617-236-7210 (outside of MA)
Fax: 617-572-2094
E-mail: fcsninfo@fcsn.org

Offers parent-to-parent training and information; projects include Technical Assistance for Parent Programs (TAPP), Collaboration Among Parents and Health Professionals (CAPP), and Parents Engaged in Educational Reform (PEER). The federation is part of the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System (NEC*TAS) consortium.

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY)
Post Office Box 1492
Washington, DC 20013-1492
Voice/TTY: 800-695-0285
Fax: 202-884-8441
E-mail: nichcy@aed.org

National information and referral center. Provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, educators, and other professionals.

PACER Center (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights)
8161 Normandale Boulevard
Minneapolis, MN 55437
Phone: 800-537-2237 (in MN only); 952-838-9000 9 (outside of MN)
TTY: 952-838-0190
Fax: 952-838-0199
E-mail: pacer@pacer.org

Provides education and training to help parents understand special education laws and to obtain appropriate school programs for their children. Workshops and program topics include early intervention, emotional disabilities, and health/medical services. Also provides disability awareness puppet program for schools, child abuse prevention program services, newsletters, booklets, extensive written materials, and videotapes.

Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC)
6320 Augusta Drive
Suite 1200
Springfield, VA 22150
Phone: 800-869-6782 (in VA only)
Voice/TTY: 703-923-0010 (English); 703-569-6200 (Spanish)
Fax: 703-923-0030
E-mail: partners@peatc.org

Professionally staffed organization that helps parents to become effective advocates for their children with school personnel and the educational system.

Parent to Parent
(Click on Parent Support, then click on Parent to Parent.)
c/o Beach Center on Families and Disability
University of Kansas
3111 Haworth Hall
Lawrence, KS 66045
Phone: 785-864-7600

State and local chapters provide one-to-one, parent-to-parent support by matching trained parents to newly referred parents on the basis of their children’s disabilities and/or family issues they are encountering or have encountered.

Sibling Information Network
The A.J. Pappanikou Center
249 Glenbrook Road, U-64
Storrs, CT 06269-2064
Phone: 860-486-4985
Fax: 860-486-5037

Assists individuals and professionals interested in serving the needs of families of individuals with disabilities; disseminates bibliographic material and directories; places people in touch with each other; publishes a newsletter written for and by siblings and parents.

The Sibling Support Project
c/o Donald Meyer, Director
The Arc of the United States
6512 23rd Avenue, NW
Suite 213
Seattle, WA
Phone: 206-297-6368
E-mail: donmeyer@siblingsupport.org

National program dedicated to the interests of brothers and sisters of people with special health and developmental needs. The project’s primary goal is to increase the availability of peer support and education programs for such siblings.

Team Advocates for Special Kids (TASK)
100 Cerritos Avenue
Anaheim CA 92805
Phone: 714-533-8275
Fax: 714-533-2533
E-mail: taskca@yahoo.com

Provides services to enable children with disabilities to reach their highest potential. Offers training, education, support, information, resources, and community awareness programs to families of children with disabilities and the professionals who serve them. TASK’s Tech Center, a member of the Alliance for Technology Access, conducts one-to-one guided exploration of technology to determine appropriate adapted hardware and software for people with disabilities. Conducts an advocacy training course and other workshops; publishes a bimonthly newsletter.