DisabilityInfo.gov: Education: Parent Resources: Special Education

Helpful recommendations for parents to keep in mind before, during and after an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting with their child's teacher(s).

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Resource for families with children, youth and adults with special needs, including disabilities and chronic illnesses of all types. Offers links to a wide variety of information to help connect to and learn from other families.

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Provides information on assistive technology applications that help students with disabilities (including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities) learn in elementary classrooms.

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Assistive Technology in K-12 Schools gives a range of information about integrating assistive technology into schools. Includes information on technologies that support children with ADD, autism and other developmental disabilities.

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Guide about ADHD, including diagnosis, treatment options, legal requirements and ways to improve life at school and home for children diagnosed with ADHD.

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Information on autism from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Resources and information regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a law which ensures services to children with disabilities throughout the nation.

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Links to information and resources on autism for educators, parents and teachers.

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Information and resources to improve services for children and youth with emotional and behavioral problems.

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CSEF addresses fiscal policy questions related to the delivery and support of special education services throughout the United States.

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Offers demonstrations of and information about the effective practices of inclusive educational programs for children from birth through age eight.

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Provides a wide array of support to parents and individuals, school districts and states in three main areas: special education, vocational rehabilitation and research in order to improve results and outcomes for people with disabilities (including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities) of all ages.

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The latest news and updates from OSERS.

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Program provides services for students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind. Available to schools and families are a free loan library of described and captioned educational media and information related to accessible media.

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Select your state to find contact information for DDRCs. DDRCs are located within research universities and/or are affiliated with major medical centers, and represent the world's largest concentration of scientific expertise in the fields of intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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Includes an easy-to-read review of educational research relating to effective practices in teaching children with disabilities, as well as connections to more detailed resources to assist in moving the research into practice.

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Use the FCTD member database to find organizations and programs in your state that help families of children with disabilities understand and locate assistive technologies.

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Answers to common questions related to college and college prep for students with learning disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

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Facilitates local groups of those interested in promoting inclusion.

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Assists educators, parents and state and local educational agencies in implementing the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regarding IEPs for children with disabilities.

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Provides students with disabilities the opportunity to explore exciting careers in science, mathematics and technology.

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Training manual for the High School/High Tech program, which provides careers in technology for youth with disabilities. This link opens a PDF document.

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Developed by Gallaudet University, History Through Deaf Eyes is a traveling social history exhibition aligning nearly 200 years of United States history with the experiences of deaf people.

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Information and resources about the IDEA from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY).

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A directory of services, providers and products for children, teens and their families who have special education needs and other special needs. Site also includes a large database of articles for parents of kids with special needs on topics including therapy, assessment, advocacy, legal needs, autism and more.

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Provides information and resources regarding learning disabilities.

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Information for families and schools regarding modified academic achievement standards under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This information can be downloaded in PDF format.

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Summary of proposed rule eliminating reimbursement under medicaid for school administration expenditures and costs related to transportation of school-age children between home and school. This link opens a PDF document.

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List of resource links from the Department of Education for parents of children with disabilities, including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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Sampling of educational materials NASA has developed for those who teach students with disabilities.

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Provides project information, publications, events, and resource links to improve educational services and outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their families.

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Parents and educators may access resources to ensure that the nation's 15 million children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work and life.

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A central source for information on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) as it relates to children with disabilities and effective educational practices.

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Answers to frequently asked questions that the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities receives, including information on rare disorders and how to implement an inclusion model into a classroom setting.

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Research publication related to successful transitions between infant/toddler programs, preschool programs and public school programs for young children with disabilities and their families.

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Provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues to families, educators and other professionals focusing on children and youth (birth to age 22).

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Works collaboratively with families, federal, state and local agencies to provide technical assistance, information and personnel training in the field of deaf-blindness.

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Information and resources for learning disabilities, disorders that affect the ability to understand or use spoken or written language, do mathematical calculations, coordinate movements or direct attention.

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Information on a free library program of Braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States by postage-free mail.

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Answers to frequently asked questions about the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

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Links to projects funded by OSEP of the U.S. Department of Education, including assistive technology, captioning and video description, educational reform and literacy programs.

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This conference was held January 28 - 30, 2009 in Crystal City, VA, and focused on the theme, High Expectations, Endless Possibilities. Parent Center leaders and colleagues learned about current topics and reflect on their work, united by the common goal of improving outcomes for children with disabilities.

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Publication from the U.S. Department of Education provides information and resources for parents of children with hearing loss.

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The Centers serve the families of children and young adults from birth to age 22 with all disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and other developmental and intellectual disabilities.

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Report on the study of issues related to federal, state and local special education programs with the goal of recommending policies for improving the education performance of students with disabilities.

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Information from the Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as funding sources or enforcement tools to ensure that children with disabilities get needed assistive technology.

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Information that will help parents become active and informed participants in Individualized Educational Program (IEP) discussions and other decision-making meetings that support students with disabilities and their families.

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Information and resources for parents and educators on children with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorders.

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Links to information on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the U.S. Department of Education's budget and strategic plan.

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Publication from the New Jersey Protection and Advocacy Service answers common questions regarding special education and the rights of children with disabilities. This link opens a PDF document.

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Background information and resources designed to facilitate the successful inclusion of students with disabilities in charter schools.

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Helps military families with special needs children navigate the maze of medical and special education services, community support and benefits and entitlements. The Toolkit is broken down into six colorful modules that can be easily downloaded and printed.

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Two publications from the U.S. Department of Education, Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource for School and Home and Teaching Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional Strategies and Practices, address the important issues related to the instruction of children with ADHD.

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Provides technical assistance, up-to-date information, and high quality resources and materials to Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs).

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InfoBrief from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD)-Youth explores the role families and advocates play in helping youth understand the importance of appropriate disability disclosure.

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The national organization of and for people with mental and developmental disabilities and their families.

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An international nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a society where people with disabilities (including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities) can learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts.

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Hundreds of articles, cases, newsletters and resources about special education law and advocacy.

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