Select a topic below to begin:

• Assistive Technology

• Associations & Organizations

• Book & Video Reviews

• Childcare Information

• Education

• Employment

• Fundraising Resources

• Health-related Resources

• Links for Kids and Youth

• Listservs/Discussion Groups

• Miscellaneous Resource Links

• Resources & Articles by County (Michigan Only)

• Resources by State & Territory - Submit a Link Here!

• Resources by Canadian Province - Submit a Link Here!

• Nationwide Support Group Information

• International Resource Links - Submit a Link Here!

• Hotline Numbers: Runaways, Child Abuse, Youth Crisis

• Links to Programs Related to the Education of Children

• The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal (Spanish) (English) - Whatever you want or need from the U.S. government, it's on FirstGov.gov. You'll find a rich treasure of online information, services and resources.

Websites with info on Assistive Technology Resources, Equipment & Services:

Adaptive Environments Center, Inc. - Alliance for Technology Access - Assistive Technology Online - Center for Universal Design - Closing the Gap - DO-IT - Matching Person & Technology - National Center to Improve Practice - Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America - Tech Connections - Trace Research & Development Center - United Cerebral Palsy

Electric Mobility Corporation
1-800-718-2082
http://www.rascalinsurance.com/

One-handed Typing Software - The OAK software makes it easy for you to type with one hand on any keyboard on a Windows PC. It makes it easier by allowing you to access all the keys without having to move your hand all over the place. Whichever side you use, you can access any letter on the other side by holding down the spacebar. For more information, go to www.BigOakSoftware.com.

Also, see IEP Issues - Assistive Technology (AT)

Visit our section that is totally dedicated to Childcare at http://www.bridges4kids.org/CC.html.

Bella's List of Michigan Disability/Special Ed/Special Needs Listservs (A-Z)

Email Discussion Groups About One Hand Typing & Keyboarding

1.  If you are a professional OT, Rehab professional, or teacher e-mail: computer_solutions-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

2.  If you are a parent of child with a difference: e-mail: kids_can-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
3.  Disabled arms/hands: (If you have a limb difference) email onehanded-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The Our-Kids Web site supports the Our-Kids Email list. Our-Kids is a "Family" of parents, caregivers and others who are working with children with physical and/or mental disabilities and delays.

Kim and Bella's List of Listservs, Resources, and Websites http://kimandbella.tripod.com

Schools K-12
Offering comprehensive reports on public, private and charter schools— elementary, middle and high schools. We make it easy to conduct a thorough investigation, critical in choosing a top school. Get your child’s academic career off to the right start with Schools K-12.
URL: http://www.schoolsk-12.com/

American Association of School Administrators
AASA, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for over 14,000 educational leaders across America and in many other countries. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children. AASA's major focus is standing up for public education.
801 N. Quincy Street
Suite 700
Arlington, VA, 22203-1730
Phone: 703-528-0700
Fax: 703-841-1543
Email: webmaster@aasa.org
URL: http://www.aasa.org

Education Commission of the States
The mission of the Education Commission of the States is to help state leaders identify, develop and implement public policy for education that addresses current and future needs of a learning society.
707 17th Street
Suite 2700
Denver, CO, 80202-3427
Phone: 303-299-3600
Fax: 303-296-8332
URL: http://www.ecs.org

Educational Resources Information Center
The Educational Resources Information Center 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.
2277 Research Boulevard
6M
Rockville, MD, 20850
Phone: (301) 519-5157
Fax: (301) 519-6760
Email: accesseric@accesseric.org 
URL: http://www.eric.ed.gov/

EducationNews.org
EducationNews.org calls itself “the Internet's leading source of education news.“
Email: editor@EducationNews.org
URL: http://www.educationnews.org

GreatSchools.net
GreatSchools.net is a nonprofit online guide to K-12 schools that provides parents with the information they need to guide their children's education.
965 Mission Street
Suite 500
San Francisco, CA, 94103
Fax: (415) 977-0704
URL: http://www.greatschools.net/

Just for Kids
Just for the Kids collects enrollment and state test data from state education departments to analyze student achievement in core academic subjects. The JFTK School Reports identify a school's potential for improvement by comparing it to other schools with equally or more disadvantaged students. This analysis identifies which schools are succeeding and which need more help. Our researchers use this information identify and investigate educational best practice.
4030-2 West Braker Lane
Austin, TX, 78759
Phone: 512.232.0770
Fax: 512.232.0777
Email: jftk@just4kids.org
URL: http://www.just4kids.org

National Center for Education Statistics
NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data that are related to education in the U.S. and other nations.
1990 K Street, NW
Washington, DC, 20006
Phone: (202) 502-7300
Email: nceswebmaster@ed.gov
URL: http://nces.ed.gov/

National Home Education Network
The National Home Education Network exists to encourage and facilitate the vital grassroots work of state and local homeschooling organizations and individuals by providing information, fostering networking and promoting public relations on a national level. Because we believe there is strength in a diverse network of homeschoolers, we support the freedom of all individual families to choose home education and to direct such education.
P.O. Box 1652
Hobe Sound, FL, FL 33475-1652
Fax: (413) 581-1463
Email: info@nhen.org
URL: http://www.nhen.org

SchoolMatch
SchoolMatch by Public Priority Systems, Inc. is a research and database service company that collects, audits, integrates, processes and manages information about public and private elementary and secondary schools.
Phone: (614) 890-1573
Email: schools@schoolmatch.com 
URL: http://www.schoolmatch.com/

USCharterschools.org
USCharterschools.org is a resource developed by WestEd under contract with the U.S. Department of Education.
Email: uscharterschools@wested.org
URL: http://www.uscharterschools.org/

Hot List of K-12 School Sites online www.edu-cyberpg.com/Schools/default.asp, which includes a master registry of K-12 schools, organized by state and grade level.  The registry also includes sites for school districts, state and regional education organizations, state departments of education, charter schools, virtual schools, state standards and state administrators.

Hotmath.org is a free website with tutorial explanations for the actual homework problems assigned from leading US math textbooks, algebra through calculus.
 

Parents for Public Schools is a national organization of community-based chapters working to strengthen public schools through broad-based enrollment.  Invigorated by a diverse membership, our proactive involvement helps public schools attract all families in a community by making sure all schools effectively serve all children.  We believe that quality public education is vital to our democracy and to America's future.

 

	Office of Special Education Program (OSEP) - http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/index.htm
	Office of Civil Rights - http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR
	National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) - http://www.ici.umn.edu/ncset/
	Technical Assistance Partnership - http://www.air.org/tapartnership/

Employment

National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability - Over eighty organizations offer a variety of relevant resources and information useful to those interested in workforce development and youth.

Visit our section on Job Opportunities & Resources - click here.

Health Journals for Parents of Kids with Special Needs - "When my daughter was diagnosed, I created a health journal to help organize all of her medical information. Soon, the clinic asked me to make 40 more for the other parents." The Little Acorn now offers many versions of this book which have been customized to fit specific disabilities. Visit the website for more details or to order. Available items (New products added often - see website for current offerings): "Juggling Autism" Starter Kit, "Juggling Cystic Fibrosis” Starter Kit, "Juggling Down Syndrome” Starter Kit, "Juggling Cerebral Palsy" Starter Kit, "Juggling Asthma" Starter Kit, "Juggling Diabetes" Starter Kit, "Healthy Kids” Starter Kit, "A Woman's Health Journal", and "The Courage Book”

Family Voices of North Dakota, Inc. - A grassroots network assisting families of children with special health care needs.

MEDLINE is the NLM's premier bibliographic database covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences.  MEDLINE contains bibliographic citations and author abstracts from more than 4,600 biomedical journals published in the United States and 70 other countries. The file contains over 11 million citations dating back to the mid-1960's. Coverage is worldwide, but most records are from English-language sources or have English abstracts. Citations prior to the mid-1960s can be found in NLM's OLDMEDLINE database.

PubMed, available via the NCBI Entrez retrieval system, was developed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine (NLM), located at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Entrez is the text based search and retrieval system used at NCBI for all major databases including PubMed, Nucleotide, and Protein Sequences, Protein Structures, Complete Genomes, Taxonomy, OMIM and many others.  PubMed was designed to provide access to citations from biomedical literature.  Subsequently, a linking feature LinkOut, was added to provide access to full-text articles at journal web sites, and other related web resources. PubMed also provides access and links to the other Entrez molecular biology databases.

Health Finder - As a health care consumer today, you are faced with many decisions concerning doctors, prescriptions, hospitals, long term care, health insurance, and medical privacy.  We've brought together some of the best information on the Internet to help you make these important choices for yourself and your family.  For background on health care providers, ratings of hospitals and nursing homes, guides to health insurance, how to report fraud or make a complaint, and privacy issues, just choose a starting point when visiting their home page.

National Patient Travel Center Rare Disease Conference Travel Assistance - Mercy Medical Airlift provides a transportation service to help families attend rare disease conferences.  The World Congress on Disabilities/Coalition for PKU & Allied Disorders conference is listed with Mercy Medical Airlift as a rare disease conference and they may be able to assist families with free transportation to the convention. Mercy Medical Airlift can usually arrange transportation in general aviation aircraft (Angel Flight) to anyone living within approximately 1,000 miles of conference site at no cost.  For more information, contact Mercy Medical Airlift, National Patient Travel Center, 4620 Haygood Rd., Suite 1, Virginia Beach, VA 23455

Visit our section that is totally dedicated to Kids and Youth at http://www.bridges4kids.org/Kids-Teens.html.

California Scooters, Trikes and Wagons - Heavy Duty Rhino Scooters, Bobbybilt Wagons, and Rhino Tricycles for All Ages and All Terrain!

Yankz Sure Lace System - Never tie your shoes again thanks to this innovative product which allows you to simply "yank" to adjust.

Viewpoint Mobility: Viewpoint Mobility manufactures the "VISION" rear entrance lowered floor wheelchair accessible mini-van conversion.

Jel Publishing: Books Designed for Children with Disabilities

Healthy Sprinkles: http://www.healthysprinkles.com/

Healthy Sprinkles are 100% powdered fruits and veggies. They come in 8 flavors, all of which are 100% pure with no additives, preservatives, fillers, enhancers or fake stuff.  These fruits and vegetables have been picked off the vine, freeze dried, powdered and then packaged into loveable shakers.  Freeze-Dried fruits and veggies retain nutrients (and color) as well as fresh fruits and veggies.

Welcome to the International Mosaic Down Syndrome Association Web Site.  We hope that by finding us you’ll be able to contact other families, and join our circle of friends and support.  Our partner page is at http://www.mosaicdownsyndrome.com.

Quality Mall - An international web site with lots of free information about the best person-centered supports for people with developmental disabilities.  If you already know about us, we have a new design -- check it out!
 

Tufts University Child & Family WebGuide - Due to the expanding volume of information on the Web, parents and students often have difficulty finding the information they want. Equally problematic is that they have difficulty determining the credibility of the information they do find. The Child & Family WebGuide describes and evaluates web sites that contain research-based information about child development. These web sites have been selected from thousands of sites about children, based primarily on the quality of the information provided. The goal of the WebGuide is to give the public easy access to the best child development information on the Web.

Buttons and More! You name it, it can be put on a button! A site dedicated to raising Autism Awareness.
 

Yvonne Singer's World - "Being physically disabled certainly does not make one less of a person. Anything is possible as long as you have the 'YES, I CAN' attitude. Fighting the good fight may be extremely difficult at times. However, when you have accomplished your goals, you will realize that it was worthwhile to struggle climbing the steep ladder."

Cooking Made Easy - Until now, there has been a gap in the cooking resources available for people with developmental disabilities.  Picture cookbooks have assisted people who cannot read.  Standard recipes are understood by few.  But there has been no resource available for the many people who can read, but cannot understand standard recipe formats.  (Terms are confusing, steps are abbreviated or blended, instructions are not detailed enough, etc.)  Now, Cooking Made Easy fills that gap!  Using this cookbook, people who needed assistance cooking in the past can now cook independently.  Individual copies are $19.95 + S/H.  Discounts given for larger orders.  "I was sent a copy of this cookbook for review and I absolutely loved it!  It was so nice to see just how simple it all was - step 1 is always 'Wash Hands.'  It is all in this book!" jdi

My Handi-Capable Reporter - Online newsletter with articles by and about people with all types of disabilities.

Catalyst - Quarterly newsletter on technology in special education.

Creative Therapy Associates is dedicated to producing materials and tools that address the mental health issues of children and adults in a unique way. Our products are used by teachers, psychologists, parents, and individuals. Example of one product: The feelings chart is a decorative poster and also a visual aid for children and adults helping them identify, express, and share feelings. Thirty important feelings are illustrated with an expressive face and named with the corresponding word.

Family Education Network (FEN), where you can find great content, resources, and shopping for parents, teachers, and kids. FEN's mission is to be an online consumer network of the world's best learning and information resources, personalized to help parents, teachers, and students of all ages take control of their learning and make it part of their everyday lives.

[ Get CoffeeCup - HTML Editor & FTP Software ]

Permanently Disabled Online Support Group: MDJunction is a health community focused on becoming a free center for Online Support Groups.

Jonah & The Whale Foundation, Inc.

Helping Families of Disabled & Chronically ill Children

P.O. Box 981
Mars, PA 16046
(877) 49-Jonah(56624)
Email: Info@JTWF.org
Web: http://www.JTWF.org

Time Out For Families Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/timeoutforfamilies/
Parent to parent support for families who have a child with special mental health and behavioral needs such as AD(H)D, Bipolar Disorder, Asperger Syndrome, Depression and more.

American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse - Website of the American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse and the New Jersey Self-Help Group Clearinghouse, a non-profit, social service agency that provides information by phone on over 4500 local self-help groups in New Jersey. Website contains information on starting self-help groups, statewide training workshops, online newsletter, and contact information for over 170 local mental health groups (including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, families of the mentally ill, dual diagnosis, and more). Website made possible through partnership with Med Help International, one of the nation's leading online medical websites, providing online access to world renowned medical organizations and experts.  The non-profit American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse, run by St. Clare's Health Services in New Jersey, helps families and professionals to find and form self-help support groups for almost any specific illness, disability, addiction, bereavement situation, parenting, caregiver concern, abuse, or other stressful life situation. Their keyword-searchable database has over 1,100 national, international, online, and model groups. If there is no existing support network in the world for your concern, they provide a registry and free consultation for those who want to join with others to start one. Their website at www.selfhelpgroups.org also has a listing of local non-profit self-help group clearinghouses worldwide, as well as suggestions for starting both community and online groups. If you prefer to phone to get group information or help, the they can be reached at 973-326-6789. If you frequently refer people to such support groups and would like a hard copy of their database, they recently published the 7th Edition of their Self-Help Group Sourcebook, which contains their database, how-to's, research reviews, over 300 additional national to--free help lines. The 448-page guide costs $18 postpaid, and may be ordered by phone with a credit card, or by check to: Am. Self-Help Group Clearinghouse, Attn: Sourcebook, 100 E. Hanover Ave., Rm 202, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927-2020.