Interesting Links
Unified Sports Activities in the NRV
These activities are sponsored by two local agencies, Intellectual Disabilities Agency of the New River Valley, and Area 9 Special Olympics, together with other organizations in our area, including local recreation departments, a local bowling alley, Va Tech, Radford University, and many others. All the activities are "unified," a special olympics term indicating that participants include persons with and without special needs.
For additional information about specific activities for this winter and spring, see the flyer with specific information.
Virginia Department of Education website
This website has lots of important information about education in our state, including special education issues. Here you can find the latest information about special education regulations, SOL testing, and much, much more. Look here for the new Virginia regulations for special education to be available in the fall of 2009!
NICHCY (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities)
National website that provides information on disabilities in infants, toddlers, children and youth; special education federal law; No Child Left Behind (as it relates to children with special needs); and research-based information on effective educational practices.
Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC)
PEATC is the federally funded Parent Training Institute for Virginia. It offers a variety of materials and supports to parents in our state. Check out their Special Education Tour! They are located in Falls Church, Virginia and have a second office in Richmond.
Training and Technical Assistance Center (T-TAC)
This link is to the local T-TAC that covers southwest Virginia and is based at Virginia Tech and Radford Universities. They offer a variety of services to families of children and youth with disabilities, including a lending library of materials and consultation on school issues. They also offer scholarships for parents for workshops and conferences they sponsor.
Exceptional Parent Magazine
This is the online version of the outstanding Exceptional Parent monthly magazine. It addresses every issue they can think of as it relates to special needs and disabilities. Here you will find tax information as well as medical and health information, and the most innovative gadgets and ideas. They also have a section titled "Search and Respond" where families can request and/or give information and assistance on specific disability-related needs. You can request a free issue at the website.