State and Local Resources

State Agencies

Florida Department of Children and Families provides services to children, families and adults.  Services are provided for children who have been abused or neglected by their families, have been victims of abuse or neglect and have become eligible for adoption, have an emotional handicap, serious emotional disturbance, or mental illness, or at risk of substance abuse problems.  Services are provided to families with children in child care, WAGES Participants, families with children at risk of abuse, persons with developmental disabilities, and victims of domestic violence.  Services are provided to adults with disabilities who need long-term care to remain in the community, those with mental illness or that have a substance abuse problem, adults with disabilities and frailties, elderly at risk or victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation, and indigent persons who are unable to work due to age, disability, or incapacity.

Disability Services in Florida's Community Colleges-  This site will give you information regarding the special services offered to students with documented disabilities as they attending any of Florida's community college.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities - This site from the Florida Department of Children and Families offers useful publications for families of those with developmental disabilities.

The Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services - provides training to school staff, district administrators, and others on important issues and current instructional practices; information on state and federal law relating to the education of exceptional students; monitors the districts' compliance with those laws; helps resolve conflicts between school districts and families of exceptional students; and provides any other technical assistance school districts need.

The bureau also serves families of exceptional students.  The bureau's Clearinghouse Information Center provides many materials to help parents understand their child's exceptionality, their child's right to a free appropriate education, and the processes and activities that are involved in exceptional student education.

One excellent source of information from the Clearinghouse is a book for parents For Parents of Florida's Students with Disabilities, which can be downloaded and printed or read online. It includes information about exceptional student education, including information about IEP's, transition planning, parent rights and responsibilities, resources and references, and a parent record book. Also at this same site is a document especially designed for parents of exceptional infants and toddlers.  

Florida's school choice programs ensure that no child will be left behind by allowing parents to choose the best educational setting—public or private—for their child. The McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program provides Florida students with special needs the opportunity to attend a private school. The McKay Scholarships Program also offers parents public school choice. A parent of a special needs student who is dissatisfied with the student’s current school may choose to transfer the student to another public school.  For information about a McKay Scholarship for a qualifying Leon County Schools ESE student, please contact the Exceptional Student Education office at 487-7158.

SEDNET (Multiagency Network for Students with Severe Emotional Disturbance is a multiagency service network for students with emotional disabilities. SEDNET is devoted to enhancing the "System of Care" for high risk students and for students with emotional disabilities and their families through facilitation, collaboration, direct intervention. SEDNET Region 2B is currently hosted by Liberty County Schools.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) provides services for eligible persons with physical or mental impairments. These services are designed to enable them to enter, regain or retain employment.  Any person living in Florida who has a physical or mental impairment, and is of (or approaching) working age may apply for rehabilitation services by contacting the nearest VR office for an appointment. The Client Assistance Program in Tallahassee can be reached at 488-9071.

Parallel Alternative Strategies for Students (PASS) are the products of the state Curriculum Improvement Project which provides curricular materials written on a lower reading level. PASS books are supplemental textbooks written to help students with various learning needs to achieve classroom success. The student books are presented in an easy to understand format for students seeking a standard diploma. The materials provide resources for teaching courses without changing essential content. Materials are available for review and download from the website.

Local Resources

Ability1st is a non-profit, community-based agency that provides services to persons with all kinds of disabilities. They serve persons in 14 counties: Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Gadsden, Wakulla, Bay, Franklin, Gulf, Washington, Jackson, Holmes, Liberty and Calhoun. Ability1st, formerly the Center for Independent Living of North Florida, is part of a nation-wide network that was founded by Ed Roberts.  Its mission is to empower persons with disabilities to live independently and participate actively in their community

Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS) Miccosukee is one of 19 Associate Centers and Specialized Centers serving Exceptional Student Education programs. Functions of FDLRS include Child Find (assisting districts in the early identification of children with disabilities,) parent services (including Parent Information, Parent Education, Family/Consumer Involvement, and Collaborative Education,) Human Resource Development (staff and parent training opportunities,) and technology. 

The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council was established to help plan individual and family-centered supports for people with disabilities in Florida. The Council also guides the development and administration of services for people with developmental disabilities by planning and funding research, innovations, and programs designed to improve the quality of their lives. To address system-wide issues affecting people with developmental disabilities, the Council engages in state and national advocacy activities in support of legislation, policies, and programs responsive to the needs of people with developmental disabilities. As a member of the Consortium of Developmental Disabilities Councils, the Council is committed to representing the diverse interests of Developmental Disabilities Councils and the people with disabilities that the councils were created to serve.

The FSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) provides direct assistance for communication, social, and behavior problems; consultation to schools, vocational programs, and other agencies; professional training; family support and education; information, resources, and referrals; public education. The Center serves people of any age with autism, pervasive developmental disorders, autistic-like behavior, dual sensory impairments, and sensory impairments with other handicapping conditions. Services provided cannot duplicate the services of other state and local agencies. Various support groups meet on different schedules for parents and families of autistic children.

The Dick Howser Center for Childhood Services, Inc. is a non-profit agency that began in 1974 as a small parent group in Tallahassee whose mission is to improve the quality of life and acceptance
of children with special needs and their families. They carry out that mission by operating childcare centers located in Leon, Gadsden, and Wakulla Counties. These centers offer a variety of services for children birth to 5 years, including childcare, early intervention, preschool, Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten and Therapies. They also offer after school and summer programs.  Children who have special needs are able to receive physical, occupational, speech therapy services on site at all three centers. Their therapists are licensed pediatric specialists who not only work with children attending those centers, but also accept outpatient referrals.

Leon Advocacy and Resource Center - LARC is dedicated to providing quality employment, residential and community based training services to persons with disabilities and a private non-profit provider agency supported by various sources that include Federal, State, County and private funds.  They have provided services and supports in North Florida for over 40 years.  The following services are provided in Leon, Wakulla, Taylor, and Franklin Counties.

• Supported Employment
• Supported Living
• Residential Services
• Community Facilitation

Whole Child Leon provides a list of community agencies that provide "educational" services to children with disabilities.

A Whole Child community is one that provides all children with the opportunity to be healthy, contributing members of society, based on the belief that parents have primary responsibility. Communities must join together to make their commitment to the Whole Child philosophy to become a designated community.

Whole Child Leon is a community-wide effort to get our children off to the best start in life by ensuring they have everything they need to thrive. Families with young children often need help: some lack education, information or economic stability, or they may not know where to go for help. Even busy, two-parent, working families may struggle due to a lack of time, information or adequate child care. Other families are strained by the many demands of caring for young children or dealing with a child with special physical or emotional needs.