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.

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ADDitude Magazine Additudemag.com is the web site of ADDitude Magazine, The Happy, Healthy Lifestyle Magazine for People with attention deficit disorder (ADD). Each issue is dedicated to a specific theme and is full of information and ideas about life with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.You can subscribe for one year for $19.97 (Six Issues)or two Years for $36.95 (Twelve Issues).The site provides information on medical issues, community needs, and a kids section.

Abledata ABLEDATA is a federally funded project whose primary mission is to provide information on assistive technology and rehabilitation equipment available from domestic and international sources to consumers, organizations, professionals, and caregivers within the United States. Choose the low graphics version of the website to get a faster download or to better accomodate users with visual and hearing impairments.

Addressing Child Care Challenges for Children with Disabilities This Center on Law and Social Policy report (February 2003) offers background and recommendations regarding Congressional reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which together provide resources for early childhood education for young children with disabilities in all states.

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing An international membership organization comprised of parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing, adults with hearing loss, and professionals who serve children with hearing loss. This website offers information about the organization and its events, publications, periodicals, resources, and information about captioned movie loan programs.

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology This website provides information about asthma and allergies, pollen counts, news releases, a coloring book for children, and much more.

American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association/Cleft Palate Foundation This informative website is home to both the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) and the Cleft Palate Foundation (CPF). ACPA is an international non-profit association of professionals who are involved in the treatment and/or research of cleft lip, cleft palate, and other craniofacial anomalies. Also a non-profit organization, CPF provides information to the parents of newborns with clefts or other craniofacial birth defects. Be sure to look for the free on-line publications available on this site.

American Occupational Therapy Foundation This charitable, non-profit organization promotes research and excellence in education about occupational therapy. Scholarship information for OT students, current research, news and events, and an on-line version of the Occupational Therapy Journal of Research are all available on this website.

American Sign Language Teachers Association The American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA) promotes the exchange of information and ideas among teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing across the nation. In addition to newsletters and conference information, this website also offers guidelines for hiring an ASL teacher. Membership information, a code of ethics, and job announcements can be found here as well.

An IEP Team's Introduction To Functional Behavioral Assessment A free online publication that describes the IEP team's responsibility to do a functional behavioral assessment to identify the cause of a child's behavior in school and develop positive behavioral interventions and supports to address problem behavior. Prepared in 1998 By The Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice.

Assessment of Maltreatment of Children with Disabilities A 2001 policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committees on Child Abuse and Neglect and Children with Disaibilities.

Association of Children's Prosthetic Orthotic Clinics This organization is made up of professionals who are involved in clinics which provide prosthetic-orthotic care for children with congenital limb deficiency, amputees, or orthopaedic disabilities. It supports clinic teams through education, clinical research, and annual meetings. The website describes the organization, has a national clinic directory, provides a quarterly newsletter, and lists upcoming events.

Augmentative Communication Inc. Publishers of Augmentative Communication News and Alternatively Speaking. Offers online articles and presentations concerning Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Autism Asperger Publishing Company An independent publisher specializing in books on autism spectrum disorders based on the latest research on autism, Asperger syndrome and other pervasive developmental disorders. AAPC takes pride in offering books that provide practical solutions for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder as well as parents, teachers or others working or living with an individual with an autism spectrum disorder. In addition to autism books they offer videos and other interactive products. They have recently expanded our titles of books and resources on social skills and sensory integration dysfunction due to the importance of these areas for individuals on the autism spectrum and the scarcity of resources in these areas. Whether you need information about an autism spectrum disorder or social skills or sensory integration, AAPC offer books, resources, and conferences of the highest caliber with a practical focus.

Autism Society of America ASA is dedicated to increasing public awareness about autism and the day-to-day issues faced by individuals with autism, their families and the professionals with whom they interact. The Society and its chapters share a common mission of providing information and education, supporting research and advocating for programs and services for the autism population. This website includes an overview of the not-for-profit organization,links to local chapters (3 NC links), publications, and policy statements.

AutismBuddy.com AutismBuddy aims to provide a FREE user-friendly website that provides high quality pintables and resources for teachers and parents for use with children with Special Educational Needs. You will find easy to download resources in many categories including booklets, puzzles and games, flashcards, worksheets, visual timetabling, activities, visual aids, emotions, teaching aids, matching and sorting, classroom display, clip-art, E-books and social skills and many more.

Beach Center on Families and Disabilities The Beach Center, located at the University of Kansas, is funded through a grant from the US Department of Education. This website contains research briefs, Beach Center Newsletters, fact sheets on behavioral management, products, and links to support organizations. Good general information about behavior management, autism, fathers of children with special needs, and sleep problems. Technical note - the graphics can take a while to download.

Benefits for Children with Disabilites A link to a booklet is written primarily for the parents and caregivers of children with disabilities and adults disabled since childhood. It illustrates the kinds of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits a child with a disability might be eligible for and explains how we evaluate disability claims for children. Millions of children already get benefits from Social Security. This will help you decide if your child, or a child you know, is eligible for Social Security or SSI.

Bullying and Teasing of Youth With Disabilities: Creating Positive School Environments for Effective Inclusion An informational webpage from the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition. Includes definitions of bullying and teasing, strategies to limit their occurrence and a list of resources for more information and support.

CHADD A National non-profit organization representing people with AD/HD (attentin deficit/hyperactivity disorder) that works to improve their lives through education, advocacy, and support. The website contains fact sheets, news releases, local chapter contact numbers (there are 11 in NC), research/ clinical trials information, advocacy tips for special education, and related links.

Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families From the American Academy of Pediatrics. This online guide offers information about types of car safety seats and provides manufacturer's phone numbers and websites.

Center for Accessible Technology Center for Accessible Technology has articles about the latest developments in voice input technology of specific interest to users with disabilities.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention An agency of the national Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)promotes health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. In addition to general facts about the CDC, this website includes current health news, funding information, data and statistics, health topics, other sites, and on-line publications. Anyone planning to travel outside of the U.S. should be sure to check out the information for travelers. Also has information in Spanish.

Children Who Won't Go to School (Seperation Anxiety) An online fact sheet from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Offers tips to parents on how to recognize signs or seperation anxiety related to school.

Closing the Gap - Computer Technology in Special Education and Rehabilitation A Minnesota-based organization that focuses on computer technology for people with special needs. Offers a bi-monthly newspaper, annual international conference and web site (with advertising). Published six times a year, the Closing The Gap newspaper highlights hardware and software products appropriate for people with special needs, and explains how this technology is being implemented in education, rehabilitation, and vocational settings around the world.

Coping with Chemo A collection of online animated stories, called "webisodes" designed for teenagers with cancer. These webisodes use colorful graphics, animation, and an engaging storyline to help teens: ? Learn to cope with having cancer and undergoing treatment. ? Talk more openly about their illness and treatment with friends, family and the health care team. ? Maintain a positive outlook throughout treatment. ? Feel less isolated. ? Better manage interactions with friends and peers. From the Starlight Starbright organization.

Counseling Families Who Choose Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Their Child With Chronic Illness or Disability A policy statement (March 2001) from the American Academy of Pediatrics which provides information and assistance for pediatricians when counseling families about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation This non-profit organization encourages the development of the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease. Founded in 1955, the CFF works closely with medical professionals, reserchers, the government, people with CF, and families. This website includes an on-line pharmacy, fact sheets, additional resources, locations of CF centers across the country, and information on clinical trials. The CFF also offers free brochures and videos that can be ordered online.

Disability World The web-zine of the International Disability Exchanges and Studies (IDEAS) Project 2000-2004, supported by the U.S. Department of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation.

Disability World en Espanol The spanish version of the bimonthly e-newsletter of international disability news and views.

Dreams - A Short Video about People who have Down Syndrome An online video from the National Down Syndrome Society that features children and adults who have Down syndrome talking about their dreams and what they're proud of in their lives.

Educating Children with Autism A 2001 report from the National Academy of Sciences that explores education interventions for young children with autism. To read the report online, click on the icon in the upper left portion of this homepage.

Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation Based in Los Angeles, California, this national non-profit organization provides support and information to those with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome through a quarterly newsletter, support groups, and published articles listed on the website. The website also has links to similar disorders and features a kid's corner to provide information to children in an easy to read manner.

Exceptional Parent Magazine The online version of a magazine devoted to parenting children with physical or mental handicaps. Good resources for equipment, mobility, etc.

Family Village A wonderful program for anyone with a disability, this website integrates information, resources, and communication opportunities on the internet for persons with disabilities, for their families, and for those that provide them services and support. Includes informational resources on specific diagnoses, communication connections, adaptive products and technology,adaptive recreational activities, education, worship, health issues, disability-related media and literature.

Federation for Children with Special Needs Based in Massachusetts, The Federation provides technical assistance,information, and support services to help families of children with special needs. There is a focus on special education and this site is a great resource for advocacy tips, IEP's and general information about IDEA (the Individuals with Disability Education Act). The site also has a text-only version available through the homepage.

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.

IDEA '97 The Law The full text (available in wordperfect and adobe acrobat formats) of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, covering infant/toddler, and school services. From the United States' Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services.

IDEA News Updated information designed to answer questions about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, inform professionals, families and the public about IDEA '97 and strategies to improve educational results for children and youth with disabilities. This website describes this organization and its members, offers a monthly online newsletter (the IDEA News), provides numerous links, documents, and other resources related to school and special education services. Sponsored by the US Department of Education.

Journal Watch - Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine keeps clinicians up to date on the most important research appearing in the literature. Launched in February 2002, the publication serves a community of generalist and specialist physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals. Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine is published biweekly on the web and ten times a year in print

Kids on Wheels Magazine This website provides more information about this magazine for children and adults who are wheelchair users, an online advice column, message boards, and much more

LD Online The website of The Learning Project, sponsored by PBS station WETA in Washingtom,DC. This exceptional website is a wonderful source of information about learning disabilities and resources available to optimize students' learning experiences. You can participate in special education bulletin board discussions and online chat rooms, shop their LD resource store, or subscribe to their newsletter. Also available in spanish.

Lash and Associates A for-profit company located in North Carolina focusing on the neurological, psychological, communicative, psychosocial and educational impact of brain injuries among children, youth and young adults. This websites lists their informative publications directed towards families, survivors, health care professionals, rehabilitation specialists, educators and community staff caring for people with brain injury.

Longwood Herbal Taskforce Devoted to approximately 85 herbs and dietary supplements, this website features in-depth monographs, clinican information, and patient fact sheets written by faculty, staff and students from Children's Hospital(Boston), the Massachusettes College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

National Deaf Education Network and Clearinghouse/Info To Go Info to Go, formerly the National Information Center on Deafness, is a centralized source of accurate, up-to-date, objective information on topics dealing with deafness and hearing loss in the age group of 0-21. Info to Go responds to a wide range of questions received from the general public, deaf and hard of hearing people, their families, and professionals who work with them. Info to Go collects, develops, and disseminates information on deafness, hearing loss, and services and programs related to children with hearing loss from birth to age 21.

National Health and Safety Performance Standards for Child Care Facilities A nine-chapter volume covering health promotion and disease prevention, nutrition, safe play, and program activities for healthy development. From the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care.

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities Now called the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. Provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, educators, and other professionals. An excellent site for policy issues, IDEA / special education, pertinent nationwide conferences and resource organizations at both the state and federal levels. Text-only version available.

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 Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) is one of the Institutes that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Established in 1988, NIDCD is mandated to conduct and support biomedical and behavioral research and research training in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language. This website contains health information for parents, a directory of national resources, listings of clinical trials, quarterly newsletters, and more.

National Maternal and Oral Health Resource Center Designed to promote better oral health care for children this national organization has publiations and conferences to help parents improve their child's dental care. The website contains contact information and regional conferences schedules.

National Organization for Rare Disorders A federation of health organizations dedicated to helping people with rare diseases and assisting the organizations that serve them. Committed to the identification, treatment, and cure of rare disorders through programs of education, advocacy, research, and service. Be sure to look at NORD's Medication Assistance Program, and databases on rare diseases, genetic syndromes, "orphan" drugs, and specialty organizations.

National Parent Network on Disabilities National advocacy organization for families of children, youth, and adults with disabilities. Contains updates of federal legislation affecting the special needs community amd many disability-related links. A good resource for issues related to IDEA / special education, and the ADA. You can use this site to sign up for their weekly update- "The Friday Fax".

National Survey of Children with Special Health Care This chartbook reports results of the first ever national survey to determine the prevalence of special health care needs (SHCNs) among children and adolescents ages 17 and younger. The chartbook provides both national- and state-level data on the size and characteristics of of children and adolescents with SHCNs. The chartbook includes information on prevalence, health and functional status, insurance coverage, health care needs and access to care, care coordination, family-centered care, and impact on families.

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 American Growth In Cerebral Palsy Project The website for this international research project designed to examine the growth of children with cerebral palsy. This site provides information about the project, tips for parents and health care providers, ways for interested families to join the study, a kids page describing the project, links about cerebral palsy and feeding difficulties, even a couple of recipes that incorporate pediasure and ensure formulas! Based at the Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

North Carolina Child Care Law and Rules An online listing of rules for child care facilities in North Carolina. Last updated April 2003.

Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support This website provides information, conferences and descriptions of characteristic behavior of people with Asperger Syndrome. Through newsletters, schools and camps family and caregivers are able to educate themselves and develop support groups to assist with ongoing issues.

Oral Health Care for Persons with Disabilities An online continuing education course presented by the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Florida. Last revised in July,2001, this website presents information about special needs dental care for over 20 different disability related conditions, including cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, brain injury, spinal cord injury and more.

Parent Handouts Handouts for parents addressing ADHD, disabilities, parenting, screening, and sleep problems. From the Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics of the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP).

Partnerships for Inclusion A statewide technical assistance project providing technical assistance to support the inclusion of young children with disabilities in child care, school, and all aspects of community life. This website includes information about the organization, its programs, and its products.

Playground Safety for Your Child with Special Needs Adapted from the National Program for Playground Safety, this handout from the Center for Children with Special Needs lists things to look for when considering how safe a playground is for a child with special needs.

Preventing Abuse and Neglect of Children with Disabilities An online information sheet from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's Pediatric/Adolescent Violence Prevention Task Force.

Right Under My Nose An online book that helps young children with spina bifida learn about and be comfortable with their bodies. With a fully interactive story, activities, tips, and a printable version of the whole book, this site is intended to be educational and fun.

Skillpack for Hospital Staff to Help Families and Staff Understand Brain Injury The emotional stress many families endure while dealing with the trauma of brain injury complicates communication as they struggle to understand what has happened. Too often, professionals do not have enough time to educate families about brain injury, help them cope with the hospital care, and consequently prepare them for the future. This skill pack is designed to give hospital professionals the techniques for supporting and communicating with families, written information to give to families, and information about brain injury. All of the pages are in PDF

Speaking to Write: Realizing the Potential of Speech Recognition for Secondary Students with Disabilities Homepage of the Speaking to Write project, a cooperative venture between the Education Development Center, Inc. and te Communication Enhancement Center at Boston Children's Hospital. Materials in PDF format address the use of assistive technology including speech recognition software (or voice recognition) for writing by secondary students with disabilities.

Special Education News A frequently updated e-zine covering issues related to the education of students with disabilities. The Web site also offers unique resources to special education professionals, including places for educators and others to exchange their views,links to important information at other sites on the Web, and news and events from across the country.

Special Needs Advocate for Parents Provides information, education, advocacy, and referrals to families with special needs children of all ages. Contains an online bulletin board and newsletter.

State Center for Health Statistics A part of NC's Division of Public Health, the SCHS is responsible for data collection and research, production of reports, and maintenance of a comprehensive collection of health statistics for the Department of Health and Human Services. This website provides information on the SCHS's branches and programs, publications including state health statistics, related links, and more.

Strategies for Coordinated Approaches to Addressing Asthma in Schools This 12-page booklet highlights six strategies identified by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) for schools and districts to consider when addressing asthma within a coordinated school health program.

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.

Stuttering Foundation of America Based in Memphis, Tennessee, the Stuttering Foundation of America, the first nonprofit, charitable association in the world to concern itself with the prevention and improved treatment of stuttering, distributes over a million publications to the public and professionals each year. This web site has information for those who stutter and their families as well as professionals.

Teaching Children with ADHD: Instructional Strategies and Practices A 32-page guide for teachers from the Office of Special Education Programs of the US Dept. of Education offers an overall strategy for the succesful instruction of children who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at school.

The Charge Syndrome Foundation Organization with a focus on children with Charge Syndrome.

The Fathers Network This website celebrates and supports fathers and families raising children with special health care needs and developmental disabilities. It contains news and resources, articles by dads, links, bulletin boards, and a photo album. Has materials in Spanish as well. Funded by the Office of Children with Special Health Care Needs, Washington State Department of Health.

The Magic Foundation MAGIC is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization providing support and education regarding growth disorders in children and related adult disorders, including adult GHD. This website has been updated for 2000 to include their quarterly newsletter, and a place to register for their listserv.

Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc. The TSA is a national not-for profit organization dedicated to providing up-to-date, accurate information about Tourette Syndrome. This website describes the organization, provides information about Tourette Syndrome, offers books and videos for purchase, has an online newsletter (non-members can only read the first page each edition), an ask the expert page and a new education and advocacy section.

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.

We Can Play An online manual of 20 activity ideas that can be used by children of all abilities. Also available in handout form and in Spanish. From the Alliance for Technology Access.

Your Baby and Down Syndrome A 2-page brochure (2005) from the National Down Syndrome Society. Developed by parents of children with Down Syndrome working along with medical experts, this brochure is designed to help parents learn more about Down Syndrome and helpful community resources.