COPAA Community Collective

This page contains a compilation of Internet Resources that may provide useful special education and advocacy information. Please contact us if you find any outdated or nonfunctional links.

Disabilities

Autism Spectrum of Disorders

Aspen of New Jersey:
URL: http://www.aspennj.org

Asperger's Syndrome Homepage:
URL: http://www.wpi.edu/~trek/aspergers.html

Autism Society of America:
promotes lifelong access and opportunities for persons within the autism spectrum and their families, to be fully included, participating members of their communities through advocacy, public awareness, education, and research related to autism (date located 11/03).
URL: http://www.autism-society.org/

Online Asperger Syndrome:
Information and Support provides information and support to families of children diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and related disorders, educators who teach children with AS, professionals working with individuals diagnosed with AS, and individuals with AS (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger

Autism-PDD Resources Network:
URL: http://www.autism-pdd.net/

CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF AUTISM:
URL: http://www.autism.com/

FEAT Families for Early Autism Treatment:
URL: http://www.feat.org/

Yale Child Study Center Developmental Disabilities Clinic & Research Home Page:
URL: http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/index.html

Emotional/Behavioral Disturbance

Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health:
is a national parent-run organization focused on the needs of children and youth with emotional,behavioral, or mental disorders and their families (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.ffcmh.org

Internet Mental Health:
is an encyclopedia of mental health information (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.mentalhealth.com/p.html

National Alliance on Mental Illness:
is the nation's leading grassroots, self-help and family advocacy organization solely dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (manic depression), major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.nami.org/

National Mental Health Association:
is dedicated to promoting mental health, preventing mental disorders and achieving victory over mental illnesses through advocacy, education, research and (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.nmha.org/

Gifted

Uniquely Gifted:
is dedicated to information about intellectually gifted children with special needs such as AD/HD, learning disabilities, Asperger Syndrome, etc.
URL: http://www.uniquelygifted.org

Hearing Impairments

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf:
empowers persons who are hearing impaired to function independently by promoting universal rights and optimal opportunities to learn to use, maintain, and improve all aspects of their verbal communications, including their abilities to speak, speech read, use residual hearing, and process both spoken and written language (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.agbell.org/

National Association of the Deaf:
safeguards the accessibility and civil rights of 28 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans in a variety of areas including education, employment, health care and social services, and telecommunications (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.nad.org/

Mental Retardation

Arc of the United States:
(formerly Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States) is the country's largest voluntary organization committed to the welfare of all children and adults with mental retardation and their families (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://thearc.org/

National Association for Down Syndrome:
serves children and adults with Down syndrome, siblings & families, and medical & educational professionals. Services include parent support services, audio/visual presentations, seminars, conferences and research reports (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.nads.org/

National Down Syndrome Society:
increases public awareness about Down syndrome; assists families in addressing the needs of children born with this genetic condition; and sponsors and encourages scientific research (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.ndss.org/

Family Village:
is a global community that integrates information, resources, and communication opportunities on the Internet for persons with mental retardation and other disabilities, their families, and those that provide them services and supports (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu

Multiple Disabilities

Our-Kids:
is a "Family" of parents, caregivers and others who are working with children with physical and/or mental disabilities and delays (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.our-kids.org/

Orthopedic Disabilities

Muscular Dystrophy Association:
is a voluntary health agency involving a dedicated partnership between scientists and concerned citizens aimed at conquering 40 neuromuscular diseases that affect more than a million Americans (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.mdausa.org/

National Easter Seals Society:
a non-profit, community-based health agency dedicated to helping children and adults with disabilities attain greater independence (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.easter-seals.org/

Spina Bifida Association of America:
promotes the prevention of spina bifida and to enhance the lives of all affected (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.sbaa.org/

United Cerebral Palsy Association:
advances the independence, productivity, and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.ucpa.org/

Other Health Impaired

Amen Clinic - ADD and Brain Specialists:
Information on ADD, MRI and SPECT/SPECT scans, etc.
URL: http://www.amenclinic.com/ac/default.asp

American Cancer Society:
leads the fight against cancer through its programs in research, patient services, prevention, detection and treatment and advocacy (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.cancer.org/

American Diabetes Association:
seeks to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.diabetes.org/homepage.jsp

American Heart Association:
is dedicated to providing education and information on fighting heart disease and stroke (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.americanheart.org/

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America:
is dedicated to finding a cure for and controlling asthma and allergic diseases (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.aafa.org/

Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder:
is a parent-based organization formed to better the lives of individuals with attention deficit disorders and those who care for them (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.chadd.org

WIDE SMILES! Cleft Lip and Palate Resource:
This site deals with everything related to cleft, cleft lip, cleft palate, cleft surgery, parents feelings about their kids born wit clefts, people born with cleft, a gallery full of pictures of cleft lip and palate, a support group to help deal with issues, emotions and medical conditions related to the cleft.
URL: http://www.widesmiles.org

Epilepsy Foundation of America:
is wholly dedicated to the welfare of people with epilepsy by working for children and adults affected by seizures through research, education, advocacy and service (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.efa.org/

Family Voices:
are families from throughout the United States who have children with special health needs. There are also caregivers, professionals, and friends whose lives have been touched by these children and their families (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.familyvoices.org/

National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project:
is dedicated to educating the diverse communities affected by HIV on the latest HIV treatments and advocating on treatment and policy issues for people with HIV date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.natap.org/

The American Sickle Cell Association:
Provides sickle cell research, education, and social services
URL: http://www.ascaa.org/

Tourette Syndrome Association:
is dedicated to providing up-to-date, accurate information about Tourette Syndrome (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.tsa-usa.org/

Speech/Language Disorders

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.asha.org

Kids Speech:
Information about speech and language development, assessments and therapy.
URL: http://www.kidspeech.com

Specific Learning Disabilities

International Dyslexia Association:
(formerly the Orton Dyslexia Society) is dedicated to the study and treatment of dyslexia (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.interdys.org

LD Online:
is an interactive guide to learning disabilities for parents, teachers, and children (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.ldonline.org/

Learning Disabilities Association of America:
works to advance the education and general welfare of children and adults with learning disabilities.
URL: http://www.ldaamerica.org/

National Center for Learning Disabilities:
is an easy-to-use resource for people seeking authoritative information on learning disabilities (LD)
URL: http://www.ld.org

Resources for Parents of Children with Central Auditory Processing Disorders:
supports parents whose child has been diagnosed with such disorders or suspect their child may have the disorder (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://pages.cthome.net/cbristol/capd.html

CAPD:
a very comprehensive site with a ton of links. (11/03)
URL: http://pages.cthome.net/cbristol/capd-lnk.html

Brain Injury

Brain Injury Association:
promotes awareness, understanding and prevention of brain injury through education, advocacy, research grants and community support services that lead toward reduced incidence and improved outcomes of children and adults with brain injuries (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.biausa.org/

Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injury Related Sites:
is designed to help those needing information on brain injuries (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.tbinet.org/

Visual Impairments

American Council for the Blind:
is one of the nation's leading membership organization of blind and visually impaired people (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.acb.org/

American Foundation for the Blind:
is a leading national resource for people who are blind or visually impaired, the organizations that serve them, and the general public. The Foundation's mission is to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will ensure freedom of choice in their lives (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.afb.org/default.asp

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Professional Associations

American Association of Mental Retardation's (AAMR):
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.aamr.org/

Association of University Centers on Disability:
is a network of interdisciplinary Centers advancing policy and practice for and with individuals with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.
URL: http://www.aucd.org/

American Bar Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.abanet.org/

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.aacap.org/

American Counseling Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.counseling.org

American Medical Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.ama-assn.org

American Music Therapy Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.musictherapy.org/

American Occupational Therapy Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.aota.org

American Physical Therapy Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.apta.org

American Psychiatric Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.psych.org

American Psychological Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.apa.org

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.asha.org

Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.aerbvi.org/

Council for Exceptional Children:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.cec.sped.org/

National Association for the Education of Young Children:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.naeyc.org/

National Association of Private Schools for Exceptional Children:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://napsec.org/

National Disability Rights Network (NDRN):
NDRN is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities. Collectively, the P&A/CAP network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.
(date located: 12/05)
URL: http://www.napas.org

National Association of School Nurses:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.nasn.org/

National Association of School Psychologists:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.nasponline.org/

National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Inc.:
(date located 12/05)
URL: http://www.nasdse.org/

National Education Association:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.nea.org

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Federal Government

Federal Agencies

Centers for Disease Control:
is the federal agency which promotes health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.cdc.gov/

US Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html?src=mr

US Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html?src=mr

US Department of Education's OSEP State SPED Monitoring Reports:
This page contains the most recent Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) monitoring reports from approximately 35 states and territories. All future reports will be posted on this page. (11/03)
URL: http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/monitor/osep-monitoring-reports.html

US Department of Justice's Americans with Disabilities Act Home Page:
Americans with Disabilities Act
Toll-Free ADA Information Line
Call to obtain answers to general and technical questions about the ADA and to order technical assistance materials: 1-800-514-0301 (voice) 1-800-514-0383 (TDD) (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm

US Dept of Justice ADA Settlements and Consent Agreements:
(4/99)
URL: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/settlemt.htm

US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division:
The Educational Opportunities Section enforces federal statutes which prohibit public school officials from engaging in discriminatory practices involving both elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education. (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.usdoj.gov/cr

Federal Resource Center for Special Education:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.dssc.org/frc/

National Council on Disability:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.ncd.gov/

National Institute of Mental Health:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.ninds.nih.gov

National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders:
date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/

National Institute on Disability & Rehabilitation Research:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/index.html?src=mr

White House:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.whitehouse.gov

Congressional

THOMAS:
is a Congressional legislative tracking service. The text of bills can be downloaded and the congressional record or committee reports can be searched (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://thomas.loc.gov

U.S. House of Representatives:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.house.gov/

U.S. Senate:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.senate.gov/

Judicial

The Federal Judicial Center (FJC):
is the research and education agency of the federal judicial system. The web site includes links to U.S. Supreme Court and the Federal Courts of Appeal (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.fjc.gov/

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Federally-Funded Projects

AbleData:
an extensive database of assistive technology devices and disability related resources funded through NIDRR/OSEP
URL: http://www.abledata.com/

Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice:
supports and promotes a reoriented national preparedness to foster the development and adjustment of children with or at risk of developing serious emotional disturbance (date located: 3/24/99).
URL: http://www.air-dc.org/cecp/

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC):
is a national information system funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to provide access to education literature and resources, including the Clearinghouse on Disability and Gifted Education.
URL: http://www.eric.ed.gov/

Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers:
Each state has at least one Parent Center serving the families of children and young adults with disabilities.
URL: http://www.taalliance.org/centers/index.htm

National Center to Improve Practice in Special Education:
promotes the effective use of technology to enhance educational outcomes for students with sensory, cognitive, physical and social/emotional disabilities (date located: 11/03)
URL: http://www.edc.org/FSC/NCIP

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities:
is the national information and referral center (800 # access) that provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, educators, and other professionals. The Center's special focus is children and youth, birth to age 22 (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.nichcy.org/

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Court of Appeals

United States Court of Appeals:
The 94 U.S. judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a United States court of appeals. A court of appeals hears appeals from the district courts located within its circuit, as well as appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies.
Find your circuit

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Legal/Advocacy Resources

ABA Center on Children and the Law:
(4/99)
URL: http://www.abanet.org/child

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law:
(date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.bazelon.org/

Case Law Finder:
provides access to court decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Federal Courts of Appeal (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://laws.findlaw.com/

Center for Law and Education:
URL: http://www.cleweb.org/

Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities:
is a coalition of approximately 100 national disability organizations working together to advocate for national public policy that ensures the self determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society (date located:11/03).
URL: http://www.c-c-d.org/

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc:
is a national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities through legislation, litigation, advocacy, technical assistance, and education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.dredf.org

Education Administration Online:
assists in researching issues in education law and keeping up to date on the latest laws and news (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.lrp.com/ed/

Family Education Network:
provides a great expanse of information to parents generally, and includes a number of articles written by a special education attorney for parents of children with disabilities and their advocates regarding the special education system. (11/03)
URL: http://www.familyeducation.com

Knowhow on the Web:
provides information technology for the legal profession (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.knowhow.com/

LawCrawler:
is a search engine for doing legal research on the Internet (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://lawcrawler.findlaw.com/index.html

Special Education Advocate (WrightsLaw):
provides legal information useful to those advocating for students with disabilities (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.wrightslaw.com

Special Education Law:
provides informational resource for parents and school personnel advocating for children with learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, autism, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, behavior/emotional Disorder, and more (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.reedmartin.com/

TASH:
is an international advocacy association of people with disabilities, their family members, other advocates, and people who work in the disability field. TASH 's mission is to eliminate physical and social obstacles that prevent equity, diversity, and quality of life (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.tash.org/

The Technology for All Americans Project:
The Technology for All Americans Project is administered through the International Technology Education Association and funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Technology for All Americans: A Rationale and Structure for the Study of Technology
URL: http://www.iteawww.org/TAA/TAA.html

Wrightslaw Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities:
is a state-by-state listing of educational consultants, psychologists, diagnosticians, health care specialists, academic tutors, speech language therapists, advocates, and attorneys, government programs, grassroots organizations, special education schools, and parent support groups.
URL: http://yellowpagesforkids.com/

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Special Education

Circle of Inclusion:
offers early childhood service providers and families of young children with disabilities demonstrations of and information about effective practices of inclusive educational programs for children with disabilities from birth through age eight (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.circleofinclusion.org/

Other Resources

American Association of People with Disabilities:
is unifying membership organization that leverages the numbers of people with disabilities and their families and friends to access economic and other benefits to form an organization which will be a positive private-sector force to achieve the goal of full inclusion in American society (date located 11/03).
URL: http://www.aapd.com/

Cornucopia of Disability Information:
serves as a community resource for disability information in a wide variety of areas (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://codi.buffalo.edu

Empowerment Zone:
a comprehensive searchable disabilities and assistive technology site. (11/03)
URL: http://www.empowermentzone.com

Internet Resources for Special Children:
is dedicated to communicating information relating to the needs of children with disABILITIES on a global basis to parents, educators, medical professionals, and caregivers (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.irsc.org

Kids Together, Inc:
provides information and resources for children and adults with disabilities (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://www.kidstogether.org

School Psychology Resources for Psychologists, Parents and Educators:
presents online information learning disabilities, ADHD, functional behavioral assessment, autism, adolescence, parenting, psychological assessment, special education, mental retardation, mental health, and more (date located 11/03).
URL: http://www.schoolpsychology.net/

Schwab Foundation for Learning:
is dedicated to raising awareness about learning differences and providing parents and teachers with the information, resources and support they need to improve the lives of kids with learning differences (date located: 11/03).
URL: http://schwablearning.org/index.asp

Disclaimer: The COPAA web site is not engaged in rendering professional advice services. The information provided through COPAA's web site or any links from COPAA's site is provided solely as a public service. The inclusion of any resource or link on COPAA's web site does not imply endorsement or a recommendation.

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