This area provides a comprehensive list of sites that we feel are of interest to the TelAbility community. Use the search interface above to search by keyword or category for sites related to your area of interest. We are constantly reviewing and adding new links so please check back often.

Know a good link, don't see it here? Recommend it!

ARC of North Carolina The ARC of NC advocates for improved quality of life for all individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities in our state. This site offers an array of supports and services to individuals and families across North Carolina. There's an online discusion board and answer sheets, a link to the NC General Assembly website, and even a catalog of clothing with the ARC of NC insignia.

Adolescent Health Transition Project The Adolescent Health Transition Project is designed to help smooth the transition from pediatric to adult health care for adolescents with special health care needs. This site is a resource for information, materials, and links to other people with an interest in health transition issues. This program is housed at the Center on Human Development and Disability (CHDD),at the University of Washington, Seattle.

Association for Driver Rehabiliation Specialists A non-profit organization designed to support professionals working in the field of driver education /driver training and transportation equipment modifications for persons with disabilities through education and information dissemination. A useful resource for teenagers with disabilities who are making the transition to adulthood and are interested in learning how to drive a car.

Beach Ability Beach Ability enables people with disabilities to better access the beach and participate in a variety of coastal recreation activities with the aid of adaptive equipment. A great resource for recreational equipment for teenagers and young adults making the transition to adulthood.

Carolina Health and Transition Project Resources At this website, the Carolina Health and Transition Project offers downloadable summary guides for medical providers, families, youths and teens about transition to adult care for individuals with special health care needs. From the NC Office on Disability and Health.

Center For Children with Special Needs This web link will direct you to the resources page of the Center for Children With Special Needs (a Program of Children?s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, WA) site. Although much of the information is specific to children in Washington state, the web page also includes a wealth of pertinent information ranging from diagnosis specific fact sheets, injury prevention, playground safety, and school and transitioning topics. Some of the materials are available in Spanish.

College Transition and Access Located at the University of Washington, this organization helps people with disabilities successfully pursue academics and careers such as science, engineering, mathematics, and technology. Students with disabilities can maximize their independence. The website contains publications which address issues surrounding transition from high school to college and beyond for people with disabilities. The website contains information about DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology), which helps high school and college students with disabilities explore careers and gain prerequisite knowledge to studies and employment.

Community Partnerships, Inc. Based in Raleigh, this private, nonprofit agency provides services to people with disabilities of all ages, children younger than three who are at-risk of developing a disability, and the families of people with disabilities. This website offers information about the organization, its programs (including early intervention and vocational rehabilitation services), and its upcoming events.

Developmental Disablities Training Institute Based at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the DDTI helps people with develomental disabilities transition through each stage of their lives by informing professionals about best practices and training them to provide better care for their clients.

Disability Services at UNC-Chapel Hill The Department of Disability Services (DDS), a part of the Division of Student Affairs, works with departments throughout UNC-CH to assure that programs and facilities are accessible to every student in the University community. Additionally, DDS provides reasonable accommodations so students with disabilities who are otherwise qualified may, as independently as possible, meet the demands of University life. This website provides information about eligibility, services, and policies and procedures.

Division on Career Development and Transition DCDT is a part of the department of special education associated with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign which focuses on the career development of children, youth and adults of all ages and exceptionalities. DCDT also focuses on transition from school to adult life as a major component of the career development process. The website contains information on undergraduate and graduate programs, resaearch opportunities and student affiliate organizations.

Employment Assistance Referral Network This program , sponsored by the US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, is designed to assist employers in locating and recruiting qualified workers with disabilites. A good way to help young adults with disabilities make the transition to work.

Family Voices Family Voices, a non-profit organization, acts as a national clearinghouse for information to improve the health care of children with special needs. This website includes information on policy issues, publications, state resources, and related links. Be sure to explore the "Advocate's Corner" when browsing this site and look into their information on ways to improve the transition to adulthood for children with special needs.

Got Transition? Website for the new National Health Care Transition Center supported by a cooperative agreement between the US Maternal and Child Bureau/HRSA and the Center for Medical Home Improvement (CMHI) at Crotched Mountain Foundation. Through partnerships among youth, families, health professionals, and policy makers, Got Transition will focus on the implementation and dissemination of health care transition best practices in primary care medical homes and specialty settings for youth and young adults.

HEATH Resource Center The HEATH Resource Center of The George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and Human Development is the national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities. Support from the U.S. Department of Education enables HEATH to serve as an information exchange about educational support services, policies, procedures, adaptations, and opportunities at american campuses, and help youth make the transition to adulthood.

Health Care Transitions: College and Beyond A 24-minute online video that tells the story of a young man with arthrgryposis and what it's taken for him to succesfully completes college and make the transition to adulthood. From the Institute for Child Health Policy in Florida.

Health Guide for Adults with Spina Bifida An online 76-page Adobe Acrobat pamphlet from the Spina Bifida Association of America. Great for adults with spina bifida and for teenagers about to make the transition to adulthood.

Healthy and Ready to Work This is the website for a federally supported program that promotes a comprehensive system of family centered, culturally competent, community-based care for children with special health care needs may need assistance in making the transition from pediatric to adulty health care and to post-secondary education and/or employment. It provides information about the program, a calendar, related links and other materials.

Institute for Child Health Policy The Institute for Child Health Policy is a state-wide Institution of Florida's State University System, headquartered at the University of Florida with affiliates at other state institutions across Florida. The Institute focuses its attention on issues related to children in managed care with an emphasis on children with special health care needs. Access, utilization, cost, quality and family involvement are this program's principal areas of interest. This excellent website contains information about the program, policy statements and other products, presentations from other programs funded through the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and a large arrray of useful links. Be sure to look through their set of resources available to help young adults with disabilities transition to work and adulthood.

KASA Kids As Self-Advocates (KASA) is a national, grassroots network of youth with special needs and their friends who work to spread helpful, positive information among their peers to increase knowledge about living with special health care needs, health care transition issues, education, employment, and other topics. A program of Family Voices, a national non-profit organization of families and friends speaking on behalf of children with special health care needs.

Lifetime Connections Lifetime Connections is an innovative social change initiative offered by First in Families NC. Lifetime Connections helps families and individuals with disabilities plan for and invest in their future. The project offers future planning consultation, estate planning, housing options and other topics of interest. They also help families develop community support systems.

MetDesk MetDESK (MetLife's Division of Estate Planning for Special Kids) is an internal unit within MetLife which provides information and assistance to families of children with special needs to help them with their financial planning. This information is important in planning for your child's future and especially helpful for adolescents with disabilities who are making the transition to adulthood. Some of the topics covered include: Government benefit eligibility requirements for SSI and Medicaid Types of special needs trusts Guardianship, Conservatorship and Client Self-Determination and Empowerment Issues Appropriate funding vehicles ? including life insurance, to guarantee your child's future quality of life

National Center on Secondary Education and Transition Headquarted at the University of Minnesota, this program seeks to increase the capacity of national, state and local agencies and organizations to improve secondary education and transition results for youth with disabilities and their families. The website includes information about the program, publications, event listings, related websites, and more.

National Information Clearinghouse on Children and Youth with Disabilities NICHCY is the national information and referral center that provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, educators, and other professionals. Our special focus is children and youth (birth to age 22).Services provided include: personal responses to your specific questions; a wide variety of publications, including fact sheets on specific disabilities, state resource sheets, parent guides, bibliographies, and our issue papers, "News Digest" and "Transition Summary."; referrals to other organizations and sources of help; information searches of our databases and library.

National Transition Network The National Transition Network strives to serve the public by strengthening the capacity of individual states to effectively improve transition and school-to-work policies as they relate to youth with disabilities. The Network provides direct technical assistance to states with current transition projects as well as developing and distributing a variety of publications. This website includes online publications, workshop information, state contacts, and links to related websites.

North Carolina Infant Toddler Program This website includes information on the NC Infant Toddler program housed in the Early Intervention Branch, Women's and Children's Health Section, Division of Public Health: the Preschool Disabilities Program, housed in the Department of Public Instruction: and the NC Interagency Coordinating Council, housed at the Division of Child Development. Links to related sites are include.

North Carolina Office on Disability and Health Funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and affiliated with the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center in Chapel Hill, this program is dedicated to promoting the health of North Carolinians with disabilities. Their website contains information about the office, its staff, and its programs, including many useful resource to help children with special health care needs transition to adulthood.

Office of Disability Employment Policy A national resource to help people with disabilities find and keep jobs. A helpful resource for adolescents making the transition from school to work. This website includes information about the Job Accomodations network, a listing of state liaisons, and more.

Office of Employment Support Programs - Youth with Disabilities This section of the OESP website provides information to help youth with disabilities make the transition from school to work.

Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights Located at the University of Minnesota, PACER's mission is to improve and expand opportunities that enhance the quality of life for children and young adults with all disabilities (physical, mental, emotional, learning) and their families. PACER now offers 20 major programs, including Parent Training programs, programs for students and schools, and technical assistance to regional and national parent centers. The website includes resources and publications on advocacy, special education, transition to adulthood, and emotional and behavioral disorders.

Social Security Administration Work Site The SSA Work Site gives detailed descriptions of Social Security Work Incentive Programs via web links and videos. This site provides information that can help an individual transition from school to work without losing his/her SSI or SSDI benefits, as well as get rehabilitation and vocational services.

State Partnership Initiative This website, based at Virginia Commonwealth University's Rehabilitation and Research Training Center, serves as an information outlet for highlighting the activities of the State Partnership Systems Change Initiative States, as well as, a central source of information and resources on the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, benefits assistance, Medicaid buy-in programs and employment resources. Be sure to look at North Carolina's participating program, looking to overcome the barriers to work faced by many teenagers with disabilities who are trying to transition to adulthood and work.

Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education An online pamphlet from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education that informs students with disabilities about their rights and responsibilities as they transition into postsecondary schools. This pamphlet explains the obligations of a colleges to provide academic adjustments, including auxiliary aids and services, to ensure that the school does not discriminate on the basis of disability.

The Family Village Estate Planning & Special Needs Trusts A compilation of listservs, articles and websites about financial planning, estate planning and special needs trusts for families of children with disabilities.

The Special Needs Trust An online article to about special needs trusts to help you with financial planning for a child with a disability. From the National Institutue on Life Planning for Persons with Disabilities.

Transition Research Institute Located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's School of Education, this institute is dedicated to improving school-to-work and transition outcomes for students with disabilities through research. This website provides teachers, service providers, clients and researchers with an excellent source of information. Be sure to check out the available on-line publications.

Transition Revolution Executive Summary In March, 1999, a group of 50 health policy administrators, analysts and leaders, as well as physicians, nurses, teachers, family representatives, advocates, and adolescents with disabilities were invited by the Maternal Child Health Bureau to discuss how far the health care industry has come since 1989 in facilitating transitioning youth from pediatric to adult health care and what work still needed to be done. This website provides the executive summary of this meeting with evaluations and plans for future interventions and programs.

Transition Services in the IEP An online guide to including and integrating transition services into school based Individualized Education Plans. While it was written in 1993, it does provide a good overview of the process and offers suggestions for both parents and professionals. From the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities.

Videos About Transition to Adulthood A list of several videos available for on-line viewing that cover topics like health care transitions, the Healthy and Ready to Work program, the PASS program from the Social Security Administration and others. From the Institute for Child Health Policy in Gainesville, Florida.

Vocational Rehabilitation This is the website of the North Carolina Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. This division of the state's Department of Health and Human Services assists people with disabilities who have work-related needs or questions about their transition to adulthood. Contains descriptions of the various programs and services available, lists local offices with contact information, updates job listings, and has related links.