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What follows is a rudimentary list of relevant
Web sites. The list of possible sites is almost endless and changes
daily. Please feel free to suggest additional websites to the webmaster.
Internet Web Sites
General Information
Council
for Exceptional Children (CEC), is one of the largest international
professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for
individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the
gifted. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional
standards, provides continual professional development, advocates for newly and
historically underserved individuals with exceptionalities, and helps
professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective
professional practice.
Educational
Resources Information Center (ERIC), is a national database system for
the storage of literature in the area of education, including special
education (disabilities) and giftedness. The database is searchable.
Office
of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS - U.S. Department of
Education) supports programs that assist in educating children with special
needs, provides for the rehabilitation of youth and adults with disabilities,
and supports research to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities.
To carry out these functions, OSERS consists of three program-related
components:
The
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY),
is a national information and referral center that provides information on
disabilities and disability-related issues for families, educators, and other
professionals.
Special
Education Resources on the Internet (SERI) is a collection of Internet
accessible information resources of interest to those involved in the fields
related to Special Education. Subject areas cover the range from Attention
Deficit Disorder to Vision Impairment.
Federal
Disability Website – The U.S. Department of Labor has redesigned the
federal Web site that connects the more than 50 million Americans with
disabilities to thousands of trusted resources on disability-related issues,
programs and services. Formerly known as DisabilityInfo.gov, the site has
been completely redesigned and updated with new social media tools, such as a
blog and a Twitter feed, to encourage feedback and interaction among visitors.
Disability.gov is not just for Americans with disabilities, but also for
parents of children with disabilities, employers, workforce and human resource
professionals, veterans, educators, caregivers, and many others.
Disability.gov features comprehensive information from 22 federal agencies, as
well as educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and state and local
governments. Topics covered on the site include: benefits; civil
rights; community life; education; emergency preparedness; employment; health;
housing; technology; and transportation.
Parents/Families/Siblings
Parents
Engaged in Education Reform - (PEER) is a national technical assistance
project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education
Programs. PEER’s purpose is to increase the participation of parents of
children with disabilities and their organizations in school reform efforts.
Sibling
Support Project - An excellent site of sibling support resources, workshops
and connections regarding brothers and sisters of people with disabilities,
chronic illnesses or mental health concerns.
Technical
Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers - the Alliance, focuses on providing
technical assistance for establishing, developing, and coordinating parent
training and information projects under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act. In Florida, the Family
Network on Disabilities is the designated statewide parent center.
Professional Development
National
Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education (NCPSE), is operated by
the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) under a cooperative agreement with
the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education.
It is an information resource for professionals and potential students in the
fields of special education and the related services professions. As the only
national information center of its type, the Clearinghouse gathers, develops,
and disseminates information on recruitment, preservice preparation, employment
opportunities, and attrition and retention issues.
Federal and Regional Resource Centers
The
Regional Resource and Federal Centers (RRFC) Network is made up of the six
Regional Resource Centers for Special Education (RRC) and the Federal Resource
Center (FRC). The six RRCs and the FRC are funded by the federal Office
of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to assist state education agencies in
the systemic improvement of education programs, practices, and policies that
affect children and youth with disabilities. These centers offer consultation,
information services, technical assistance, training, and product development.
Through the RRFC Network, the individual RRCs and the FRC work together to help
states and U.S. jurisdictions identify and address issues across regions and
nationally and to facilitate networking and information-sharing. The RRFC
Network regularly collaborates on conferences, topical workgroups, product
development, and other activities. The regional center responsible for this geographic area is the
Southeast
Regional Resource Center (SERRC).
Technology
The
National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP) - promotes the effective use of
technology to enhance educational outcomes for students with sensory, cognitive,
physical and social/emotional disabilities. Through NCIPNet, it links community
members through a series of facilitated discussion forums to exchange
information and build knowledge through collaborative dialogue. In
addition, NCIP gathers, synthesizes, and disseminates information about
technology, disabilities, practice, and implementation through a range of
resources located in its library, and offers a series of video profiles which
illustrate how students with differing disabilities use a range of assistive and
instructional technologies to improve their learning.
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