Children+with+disabilities+websites

1. Support for Families of Children with Disabilities __http://www.supportforfamilies.org/__ Support for Families of Children with Disabilities is a parent-run San Francisco-based nonprofit organization founded in 1982. They support families of children with any kind of disability or special health care need as they face challenges. Their purpose is to ensure that families of children with any kind of disability or special health care need have the knowledge and assistance they need to make informed choices that support their child's health, education and development. They provide peer support to families, and information and education to families, professional and the community at large.

2. Family Voices...Keeping families at the center of children's health care __http://www.familyvoices.org/__ Family Voices aims to achieve family-centered care for all children and youth with special health care needs and/or disabilities. Through their national network, they provide families the tools to make informed decisions, advocate for improved public and private policies, build partnerships among professionals and families, and serve as a trusted resource on health care. Family Voices thrives on a set of valued principles that they utilize within their organization which includes family-centered care, partnerships, quality, access, affordability and acceptability, health systems that work for families and children, informed families/strong communities and self advocacy/empowerment.

3. FOCUS- Extraordinary Families/ Kool Kidz __http://www.focus-ga.org/__ FOCUS began in 1983 when two children shared a hospital room and their parents became fast friends, finding in each other someone to share the fears, isolation, and unbelievable love they felt for their children with ongoing medical conditions. FOCUS was established to care about the children with special needs and their families. FOCUS provides emotional, informational, and physical support to parents of children with disabilities or with ongoing medical needs. FOCUS families deal with a variety of developmental delays, including rare syndromes, cerebral palsy, heart problems, immune deficiencies, and neurological involvement. FOCUS provides a network of parents who share common experiences with each other. FOCUS families provide each other with a sense of community, sharing the joys and frustrations of parenting a child with extra-special needs.

4. Family Village- A Global Community of Disability-Related Resources __ http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu / __ The Family Village is a website for children and adults with disabilities, their families, and their friends and allies. Family Village brings together thousands of online resources in an organized, easy-to-use directory. The centerpiece of Family Village is the library, where visitors can find information on over 300 diagnosis. Visitors can also learn about assistive technology, legal rights and legislation, special education, leisure activities and more.  5. NICHCY- National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities __http://www.nichcy.org/FamiliesAndCommunity/Pages/Default.aspx__ The National Dissemination Center provides information to the nation on disabilities in children and youth, programs and services for infants, children and youth with disabilities, IDEA the nation's special education law, No Child Left Behind the nation's general education law and research based information on effective practices for children with disabilities. Anyone from families, educators, administrators and students can use their services to enhance their knowledge on children and youth with disabilities. Here they will find an abundance of information on specific disabilities, early intervention services, special education and related services for children in school, research on effective educational practices, parent materials, disability organizations, professional associations and much more.

6. Elementary & Middle Schools Technical Assistance Center (EMSTAC) __http://www.emstac.org/home.htm__ The Elementary and Middle Schools Technical Assistance Center was a five year contract between the American Institutes for Research (AID) and the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). It was funded from 1997-2001 and is one of approximately 40 technical assistance and dissemination centers that OSEP funds. The founders guidance and insight helps to align the organizations work with national needs and best meet the needs of children with disabilities. EMSTAC's mission, objectives and activities guides their work with local school districts and are designed to develop a national comprehensive technical assistance approach that will improve outcomes for elementary and middle school students with disabilities. The strategiesthey utilize and relationships that maintian with their partners facilitates the organizations success in ensuring that teachers have access to research-based practices that are proven to enhance the success of students with disabilities.

7. Council for Exceptional Children; The Voice and Vision of Special Education __http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/AboutCEC/Diversity/DiversityInitiatives/DiversityLeadership/default.htm__ The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, advocates for individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice. Some of the services provided includes professional development opportunities and resources, 17 divisions for specialized information, journals and newsletters with information on new research findings, classroom practices that work, federal legislations and policies, conventions and conferences, and special education publications.

8. Culturally & Linguisitcally Appropriate Services (CLAS) __http://clas.uiuc.edu/fulltext/cl00825/cl00825.html__ The CLAS Institute identifies, evaluates, and promotes effective and appropriate early intervention practices and preschool practices that are sensitive and respectful to children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. CLAS has several basic assumptions which define and guide its work. CLAS' goals includes to create a resource bank and catalog of validated, culturally and linguistically appropriate materials, and of documented effective strategies, for early intervention and preschool services. CLAS also achieves to conduct a review of materials by experts in the fields of early childhood education, early intervention/early childhood special education, and in multicultural education, considering issues not only of effectiveness but also of social, cultural, and linguistic acceptability to children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.