Resources

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framingham resources, recourses de Framingham (Spanish), recursos de Framingham (Portuguese)

Framingham Special Education Department and Contact Info – http://www.framingham.k12.ma.us/Page/2607

Description of Special Education Services offered in Framingham – http://www.framingham.k12.ma.us/Page/2610

High School Curriculum Night Presentation 2016

Framingham Extended School Year Programs – http://www.framingham.k12.ma.us/Page/2617

Extended School Year Presentation (2016 to School Committee) – special-education-extended-school-year-programs

Framingham Public Schools District Curriculum Accommodation Plan https://www.framingham.k12.ma.us/Page/1201

massachusetts state agencies and organizations

agencias y organizaciones estadales de Massachusetts (Spanish)

agências e organizações do estado de Massachusetts (Portuguese)

A Parent’s Guide to Special Education (also in Spanish and Portuguese) – http://fcsn.org/parents-guide

Department of Developmental Services – 617-727-5608 – www.mass.gov/dds

Department of Mental Health – 617-626-8000 – www.mass.gov/dmh

Department of Public Health – 617-624-5969 – 800-905-8437 (Early Intervention Programs) – www.mass.gov/dph

Department of Social Services –( DSS ) 617-748-2000  -800-792-5200 www.mass.gov/dss

Disability.gov – Connecting the disability community to information and resources – http://www.disability.gov

Mass Accesswww.massaccesshousingregistry.org – the accessible housing registry – Metrowest area call 508-875-7853 V/TTY

Massachusetts Advocates for Children www.massadvocates.org

Massachusetts ARC www.arcmass.org

Massachusetts Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired – www.mapvi.org

Massachusetts Association of Special Education Parent Advisory Councils (MASSPAC) www.masspac.org

Massachusetts Autism Resources – http://www.arcmass.org/CommunityServices/AutismResources/tabid/293/Default.aspx

Massachusetts Branch of the International Dyslexia Associationwww.dyslexia-ma.org

Massachusetts Commission for the Blind – 800-392-6450 – 617-626-7650 (TTY) –www.mass.gov/mcb

Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing – 617-740-1600; (617-740-1700 (TTY) –http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/mcdhh/

Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE)/ Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) – www.doe.mass.edu

Massachusetts Department of Education Bureau of Special Education Appeals – www.doe.mass.edu/bsea

Massachusetts Department of Education Program Quality Assurance – www.doe.mass.edu/pqa

Massachusetts Department of Education Info for Parents about Special Education – http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/parents.html

Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council – 617-770-7676 – www.mass.gov/mddc/

Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change www.mfofc.org

Massachusetts Family Ties –www.massfamilyties.org – A statewide information and referral network for families of children with special needs

Massachusetts Family Voices –www.massfamilyvoices.org –Information and referral network for families of children with special needs in Mass.

Massachusetts Parent Information and Resource Center (PIRC)www.pplace.org – 877-471-0980 – PIRC is a place where parents learn about their rights and options under both state and federal education laws so they can make the best choice for their children.

Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission – 617-204 3600; 800-245-6543 (in MA only) – www.mass.gov/mrc

MassMATCH – www.massmatch.org – MassMATCH is the Commonwealth’s initiative to Maximize Assistive Technology (AT) in Consumer’s Hands.

Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PAL) 800-866-815-8122; 617-542-7860 www.ppal.net – Massachusetts Family Voice for Children’s Mental Health

Social Security and Disability Resource Center http://ssdrc.com – informs readers about how the Social Security Disability and SSI Disability process works from start to finish

Special Olympics, Massachusetts MetroWest Area www.specialolympicsma.org– 508-616-6663

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Public Information Line – 800-882-1435

other local resources, organizations, and associations

otros recursos, organizaciones y asociaciones locales (Spanish)

outros recursos locais, organizações e associações (Portuguese)

Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts – http://www.afamaction.org/

Asperger’s Association of New England – 617-393-3824 – www.aane.org

Assistive Technology Exchange of New England www.getATstuff.comlist Assistive Technology devices for sale or for free

Autism Alliance of Metrowest www.autismalliance.org – 508-652-9900

Autism Consortiumwww.autismconsortium.org – Engaging families and researchers to find treatments and cures for autism

Autism Resource Center of Central Massachusettswww.autismresourcecentral.org – 508-835-4278

Children’s Mental Health Services in Massachusetts – A guide written by the Boston Bar Association and Children’s Hospital – http://www.bostonbar.org/docs/default-document-library/bbaguide_2011update_2.pdf

Concord SEPAC web site – http://concordspedpac.org – A great resource for private, collaborate schools, other SEPACs in Massachusetts, and many other resources of interest to parents of special needs children.

Disability Resources –www.disabilityresources.org – is a virtual library of information about web sites serving the disability community.

Easter Seals Massachusetts – www.ma.easterseals.com – (800) 922-8290 Their services include AT (assistive technology) Demonstration and Loan Regional Center, AT Loan Program, Camp, Disability Resource Information, Great Hires, Job Training and Employment  , Rehabilitation and Therapy Services, Youth Leadership

Family Connect – For parents of children with visual impairments – www.familyconnect.org  brought to you by the American Foundation for the Blind (www.afb.org) and National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (www.napvi.org)

Federation for Children with Special Needs – 617-236-7210 – 800-331-0688 (in Mass) – www.fcsn.org

Hoagies Gifted Education Pages – Articles about gifted children with special needs – www.hoagiesgifted.org/special_needs.htm

International Dyslexia Association http://dyslexia-ma.org/resources.html – Great resources can be found on this site.

Jewish Community Resources for People with Disabilities, http://jewishboston.com/279-jewishboston-com/blogs/1445-jewish-community-resources-for-people-with-disabilities

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Mass. – 508-875-1544 – www.namimass.org

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)www.nichcy.org – NICHCY is the national information and referral center that provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, educators, and other professionals. Its special focus is children and youth (birth to age 22).

New England INDEX Information on Disabilities Exchange – www.disabilityinfo.org

Partners for Youth with Disabilities, Boston www.pyd.org – 617-556-4075 – Adult mentors for children and young adults with disabilities, including learning disabilities.

SPED Child and Teen – Online newspaper listing special needs workshops and resources in greater Massachusetts www.spedchildmass.com

TILL Autism Services – (781) 302-4600 – www.tillinc.org

If you know of any other groups that should be listed here, please email the information to [email protected] or contact the one of the F-SEPAC Co-Secretaries.

lists of private schools and collaboratives

lista de escuelas privadas y colaborativos (Spanish)

Listas de escolas privadas e colaborativas (Portuguese)

www.spedschools.com for a list of private sped schools. Under ‘placement’ they have a helpful check list to use when you visit the schools, information about private day and residential schools approved by the Massachusetts Department of Education under c. 766.  (781) 245-1220 or [email protected].

Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaborativeshttp://moecnet.org/directory – lists collaborative schools. Accept Collaborative is for the town of Framingham.

Massachusetts Association of 766 Approved Private Schools (MAAPS) www.maaps.org – 781-245-1220

Information from the DESE on providing special education services to children attending private school – http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/advisories/07_2.html

Info for how special ed transportation and how many children from each district attend specific out of district schools – www.spedtranssavings.org/DistrictData.aspx

Timeline from the DESE for out of district placement

 

laws, leyes (Spanish), leis (Portuguese)

Massachusetts Special Education Regulationswww.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/603cmr28.html

State Lawhttps://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXII/Chapter71B

Federal Lawwww.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/the_law.html

IDEA Lawhttp://idea.ed.gov/

Wrights Lawwww.wrightslaw.com– A great resource for learning about special education law and advocacy.

Transition Planning Form (for children ages 14-22)- www.doe.mass.edu/sped/28MR/28m9.pdf

SpedEx – http://spedexresolution.comSpedEx is a dispute resolution pilot project that will be available in certain cases after an IEP has been rejected or a hearing request has been filed.

Rosie D. Decision – www.rosied.org – Rosie D. Decision enables children with psychiatric disabilities to receive appropriate home-based services so they can grow up in their own homes and attend local schools.

Legal Rights of Children with Epilepsy in School & Child Care

Disability Law Center of MA www.dlc-ma.org – 617-723-8455 – Referrals, advocacy, and free legal service, particularly for immigrants and low income residents.

Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts – www.clcm.org – a private, non-profit, legal advocacy and resource center providing direct representation to low income children in Eastern Massachusetts, and technical assistance and training to lay and professional communities throughout New England on issues affecting children’s education, civil rights, custody, health and welfare.

advocates and ways to find them

abogados y dónde encontrarlos (Spanish)

defensores/advocates e maneiras de encontrá-los (Portuguese)

“A Parent’s Guide to Selecting a Special Education Advocate in Massachusetts.” –  http://www.fcsn.org/pti/advocacy/advocacy_brochure.pdf

Massachusetts Advocates for Children – 617-357-8431 (ext 224 for Helpline) www.massadvocates.org

Special Needs Advocacy Network (SPAN)www.spanmass.org  – 508-655-7999 Network of educational advocates.

List of advocates from Concord SPED PAChttp://www.concordspedpac.org/Advocates.html

health information

información de salud (Spanish)

Informação de saúde (Portuguese)

Framingham School’s Health Services

Massachusetts Comprehensive School Health Manual – Divided into three major sections that include 16 chapters, the manual incorporates the most complete and up-to-date information on the policy and practice of school health in the Commonwealth.  An electronic version of the updated and revised Massachusetts Comprehensive School Health Manual is at:http://www.maclearinghouse.com/schoolhealthmanu al.htm
For students requiring specialized health services, see Chapter 7: http://www.maclearinghouse.com/schoolhealthmanual/PDF/Chapters/ Chapter07_ D.pdf
For mental health info see Chapter 11: http://www.maclearinghouse.com/schoolhealthmanu al/PDF/Chapters/ Chapter11_ D.pdf

Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America Massachusetts Chapter http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=5&sub=105&cont=654

www.GotTransition.org helps with transition from pediatric to adult healthcare transition resources.

adaptive recreation, recreación adaptativa (Spanish), recreação adaptativa (Portuguese)

Resource list of adapted fun, over the winter months, or indoor therapeutic swim, among other fun activities, you may want to check out Franciscan Hospital’s 2015 resource guide at http://franciscanhospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Adaptive_sports_and_ActiveRecGuide_May_2015.pdf.

http://adaptivesportsne.org/

other helpful links, otros enlaces útiles (Spanish), Outros links úteis (Portuguese)

AblePlaywww.ableplay.org – is a web site with independent ratings and reviews of toys for children with special needs.  They also give ideas on alternative ways of playing with certain toys.

DisABILITIESBOOKS, INC.www.disabilitiesbooks.com – sells a book called Legal Planning for Special Needs in Massachusetts (617) 879-0397- another web site to find the book is www.mfofc.org/legal-planning-for-special-needs-massachusetts.html

Equipment Shop www.equipmentshop.com/ Feeding and oral, seating and positioning equipment, trikes, foot pedal attachments 800-525-7681, 781-275-7681

Pass It On, Inc. – is a volunteer-based non-profit charitable organization. They recycle “used but good” medical equipment and provide it to disabled individuals and their families. They take/deliver equipment for children up to 22 years of age.  They do not buy or sell equipment.   They will pick up donated items for free. They will charge a nominal fee ($35.00) to deliver items.  They are open 3 days a week.  The equipment must be in good working condition.  Pass It On  loans and donates medical equipment to individuals and their families who:

– do not have insurance coverage for an item

– cannot afford insurance co-payment for an item

– do not have the funds to rent or purchase an item.

Pass it on works on the honor system. They do not require financial disclosures or personal information. They just ask that you be honest in your requests so that those who truly need their services the most are able to receive them.  Inventory will vary. It they don’t have it available there is an option to be put on a waiting list. Example of inventory items could be gait trainers, standers, wheel chairs, kid carts, ramps, seats, etc. Contact Info: Pass It On, Inc. , P.O. Box 2120, Mashpee, MA 02649, 508-477-6966  or 1-800-267-6768

REquipment is a great way to obtain free, gently-used, durable medical equipment (DME) for use by individuals and families in Greater Boston. REquipment also keeps equipment that is no longer being used out of landfills and in the hands of individuals who can most benefit by it. Donated DME is sanitized, refurbished, and available for free (a delivery fee may apply). REquipment accepts and provides only high-quality DME, is easy to access (online or by phone), and provides device pick-up and delivery as needed. – http://www.dmerequipment.org/

SmileMass loans out adaptive bicycles, strollers, beach wheelchairs and other equipment.  They are located in Sudbury.

The New England Assistive Technology Exchange (AKA GetATStuff.org)www.getatstuff.org – It is a place for sellers/donors of assistive technology to list their items and for folks looking for such items to find them. In other words, it is like a Craigslist for Assistive Technology.

MassMATCHwww.massmatch.org – MassMATCH is the Commonwealth’s initiative to Maximize Assistive Technology (AT) in Consumer’s Hands. Through partnerships with community-based organizations, MassMATCH is currently creating new AT programs and working to coordinate AT services throughout the Commonwealth.

Theraproducts www.Theraproducts.com – sells all kinds of therapeutic equipment and is located in downtown Framingham. 1-800-257- 5376

Toys r Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids – www.Toysrus.com/DifferentlyAbled

Wheelchair Recyclerwww.wheelchairrecycler.org – collects; refurbishes and re-issues used power wheelchairs at little or no expense to the new user. 508-460-6328 They are located in Ashland.

Woodbine House www.woodbinehouse.com – Resource for books on disabilities.

Information on acquiring Durable Medical Equipment


NOTE:  F-SEPAC is providing the information above for educational purposes as a public service. References to any treatment, program, or professional are not endorsements.

NOTA (Spanish): F-SEPAC está proporcionando la información anteriormente mencionada para fines educacionales como un servicio público. Referencias a cualquier tratamiento, programa o profesional no constituyen respaldo.

NOTA (Portuguese): O F-SEPAC fornece informações acima para fins educacionais como um serviço público. As referências a qualquer tratamento, programa ou profissional não são endossos.