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The Laws that Govern the Rights of Children with Disabilities

There are several federal laws that have been enacted to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities, including children. State laws are also in place to ensure protection of the those rights, and may govern if they provide greater protection than federal laws.

Although this website does not discuss states laws, families can learn more about the laws in their states by contacting a local PTI (parent training and information center). Another source of information about state resources can be found at the NICHCY (National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities) website, on their State Resources page.

Official Federal Websites

Americans with Disabilities Act Home Page
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm

The US Department of Justice hosts this site, full of information about the American with Disabilities Act. It's best to start with the index. The "General ADA Publications and Information" page is helpful, as is the "ADA Resources" page.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
http://cms.hhs.gov/

Children with disabilities who qualify for SSI (Supplemental Security Income) from the Social Security Administration are also entitled to Medicare benefits. This site is homebase for Medicare and also provides information about SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program). It can be slow going, but it is worth the time.

Social Security Administration: Benefits for Children with Disabilities
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10026.html

This site is a publication from the Social Security Administration detailing benefits available from SSA for children with disabilities. It is clearly written and it is clearly an essential resource.

Social Security Administration's Supplemental Security Income Page
http://www.ssa.gov/notices/supplemental-security-income/

The homepage for information about SSI (Supplemental Security Income) from the Social Security Administration, this site provides information about SSI benefits. Its presentation is good and may be quite valuable for parents whose children are approaching adulthood. SSA has also provides Disability Starter Kits (in English and Spanish) to help families prepare to apply for SSI benefits for their child.

The website now features a special page Understanding Supplemental Security Income. It's easy to read and answers a lot of questions. There is a page specifically about SSI for children.

US Department of Education (IDEA site)
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/

The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is THE federal law ensuring the rights of children with disabilities to a "free and appropriate public education." (In December 2004, IDEA was reauthorized, and information on IDEA 2004 is available here.) This is the US Department of Education's official IDEA website. There is a link from this site directly to the text of the passed bill, HR 1350.

US Department of Education/Office for Civil Rights
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html?src=mr

Another branch of the US Department of Educaiton, the Office for Civil Rights has a mandate to protect the civil rights of children in public schools. It is worth it to explore the whole site, but the special section on "Disability Discrimination" may be of greatest interest to families of children with disabilities.

US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html

The OSEP (Office of Special Education Programs) homepage features articles of interest and has links to publications, studies and special programs. It is a good way to keep current on trends and resarch in special education from an official point of view.

We are moving!
As of May 15, 2010
Support for Families will be located at
1663 Mission St., 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone numbers and hours remain the same.

Advocacy Sites

Because legislation is often written in language that is difficult to understand, there are organizations whose mission it is to advocate for children with disabilities and their families. In addition to the list below, it is always a good idea to check with a nearby parent training and information center (PTI) for local advocacy resources.

Assocation for Persons with Severe Handicaps
http://www.tash.org/

TASH has been advocating for the rights of people with disabilities for over 25 years. The site is not focused on children's issues nor is it informational, but it does provide information about the work that TASH does within the disability community.

Axis (Disability advocacy)
http://www.normemma.com/

Norm Kunc and Emma Van der Klift are Canadian husband and wife disability advocates who also provide disability-awareness trainings (Norm has cerebral palsy). Their site has a multitude of helpful links and includes information on issues such as sexuality and abuse not often available on other sites.

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
http://www.bazelon.org/

The Bazelon Center is a non-profit legal advocacy organization. This site is essential for families with children with mental disabilities. It is informative and brings important mental health resources together in one place.

Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)
http://www.copaa.net/

Parents and legal professionals work together to provide advocacy for families of children with disabilities on this site. Good links to information about IDEA and Section 504 and to news about special education law.

Family Voices
http://www.familyvoices.org/

Family Voices is a national grassroots network of families and friends speaking on behalf of children with special health care needs. Their site provides links to their wonderful publications, newsletters and advocacy alerts. Information is also available in Spanish.

Institute for Child Health Policy
http://www.ichp.edu/

This is a good site to visit for information about research and policy issues for children with special health care needs.

National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems, Inc. (NAPAS)
http://www.napas.org/

A voluntary national membership association of protection and advocacy and client assistance sytems (congressionally-mandated agencies that provide advocacy and legal representation to people with disabilities). The NAPAS site contains information about legal rights of individuals with disabilities and provides links to their Client Assistance Programs in every state.

Reed Martin Special Education Law
http://www.reedmartin.com/

Reed Martin is a special education attorney and his site is a virtual bonanza of information of special education law. You can link to chat rooms, post questions, read articles and order publications. The site also provides links to state education resources and current news.

Special Ed Advocate (Peter/Pam Wright web site)
http://www.wrightslaw.com/

Another special education site, this one is well-organized with great links to a number of resources. Special Ed Advocate puts a lot of information together in an easy-to-use way. It is one of the better sites on special education law.

The resources on these pages are for your information. These listings are not necessarily comprehensive, nor are they an endorsement. If you find that any information is incorrect, if you would like to offer feedback or if you know of additional resources that may be helpful to include, please contact us.

This page was last updated July 18, 2008 .