Online Resources

-- A --

• Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) - US government organization responsible for implementing the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights act of 2000. It is part of the Administration for Children and Families of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
• Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc. - The Parent Information and Training Center for the District of Columbia. Programs and supports to train parents in leadership and advocacy for people with disabilities.
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• American Association of Children's Residential Centers - brings professionals together to advance the frontiers of knowledge pertaining to the spectrum of therapeutic living environments for children and adolescents with behavioral health disorders.
• American Mental Health Counselors Association

-- C --

• Child and Adolescent Services Research Center - CASRC focuses on mental health care issues for vulnerable children, including children in public service sectors. In addition, CASRC specializes in longitudinal studies of children at risk for development of mental disorders and other problems in psychosocial functioning, and the effectiveness of early preventive interventions.
• Child Welfare League of America - CWLA is an association of almost 1,000 public and private nonprofit agencies that assist over 2.5 million abused and neglected children and their families each year with a wide range of services.

-- D --

• D.C. Developmental Disabilities Council
• District of Columbia Rehabilitation Services Administration - This DC government agency provides vocational and independent living services for DC residents with disabilities. It also administers the Social Security Disability Determination Program which studies and settles claims for the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The site has the contact information for these services and programs and a link to the Mayor's Committee on Person's with Disabilities.
• The District of Columbia Department of Disability Services (DDS) - DDS (formerly known as The Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration or MRDDA) provides services, life planning strategies and dedicated to maximizing the quality of life for people with developmental disabilities in the District of Columbia.

-- F --

• Family Voices - Information and support for families with children with special health care needs

-- N --

• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) - Child and Adolescent Network
• National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems - mission encompasses all organizations serving people with psychiatric and substance abuse disorders-- representing behavioral healthcare systems that are committed to the delivery of responsive, accountable, and clinically effective treatment and prevention programs for children, adolescents, and adults with mental and substance use disorders.
• National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) - NASMHPD organizes to reflect and advocate for the collective interests of State Mental Health Authorities and their directors at the national level.
• National Center for Cultural Competence
• National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health - provides national leadership to the maternal and child health community in three key areas of program development, policy analysis and education, and state-of-the-art knowledge to improve the health and well-being of the nation's children and families.
• National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
• National Mental Health Association

-- O --

• Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) - On June 12, 2007, this office became the agency that has authority in the for all federal child and nutrition programs in District of Columbia. This includes the education, child care and early intervention systems among other. The website contains information on all the programs including the new education plan.

-- U --

• Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) - The University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Education, Research and Service (UCEDDs) are funded through the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) to provide leadership, advise federal, state and community policy makers about, and promote opportunities for people with developmental disabilities and their families. The Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development is the UCEDD for the District of Columbia and was established nearly four decades ago.