|
 |
 Guide
to Legislative and Public Policy Websites |
| for Families of Children with Special Health Care Needs/Disabilities |
| Getting Involved | Current Issues | Laws | Tracking Action Alerts | Links |
Things can change rapidly during the legislative process and it may be important that families speak up on issues in a very timely manner.
You can check the websites on this page to be kept up-to-date on the status of important legislation, federal and state. Most of these sites have Action Alerts, letting you know that something is happening that deserves attention. At some of the sites, you can write directly to your representatives to let them know what you think. Other sites provide regular updates and give you the opportunity to subscribe directly to their alerts.
The
websites are arranged alphabetically. If you are interested in state and local
issues, sites that deal with state and local issues are marked with a green diamond
.
This site is an excellent place to begin looking at legislative issues affecting families of children with special health care needs/disabilities. The site will allow you to view current legislation; The Arc will indicate if it supports or opposes the legislation; there are links to locate your elected officials and write to them about current issues. The Arc is an organization which focuses on individuals with developmental disabilities.
The Arc of California's Action Center page provides legislative and public policy updates on the state and federal levels. The page includes a list of current California bills that affect individuals with disabilities, and updates on state and federal budget issues.
This site is an excellent starting place for involving yourself in disability legislation action. The Current Legislation page lists important federal legislation under consideration in the Senate and the House of Representatives. AUCD indicates whether or not they support or oppose the legislation. It is nicely organized by subject area (Budget & Appropriations, Child Abuse, Education, etc.) By clicking on any of the Bill Name links, you will be brought to a site where you can send a pre-written letter (or compose on of your own) on important legislative issues.
AUCD produces a weekly legislative summary and update called Legislative News In Brief. It includes a current issues and an archive of past isues.
Autism Education Network
for Mental Health Law Action Alerts PageThe Autism Education Network has an Advocacy page that lists national legislation that affects people and families of children with Autism. By joining their e-community, users gain access to their web tools, parent directory, and legislative database and advocacy center.
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has been providing legal advocacy for individuals with mental disabilities since 1972. To remain current on issues that Bazelon feels need actions, visit this part of their website. If you scroll to the bottom, you will find instructions on how to subscribe to their Action Alerts on a regular basis.
CDCAN provides extensive analysis of legislative and budget issues affecting Californians with developmental disabilities. You can sign up to receive updates by email, or you can view them on the website.
Coleman Advocates for Children monitors issues that affect children. It is San-Francisco based and a good place to check on what's happening on a city/county level. They have weekly Advocate Alerts to keep you current on weekly advocacy activities. You can also check their Advocate Alerts archive for past issues.
DREDF is a national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities. Their Rapid Response Network (RRN) provides current information on the IDEA reauthorization, with Action Alerts and Briefings. To join the RRN and receive updates, send an email to preserveIDEA@dredf.org and you'll be added to the distribution list.
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)CEC is an international professional organization that supports professionals toimprove the lives of people with disabilities. Their public policy and legislative page contains breaking news, ongoing events and action alerts.
Family Voices -- a national, grassroots clearinghouse for information and education concerning the health care of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) -- has created a special webpage to help families keep up on important issues that relate to CSHCN. The Legislative Action Center provides tools to write to elected representatives.
Justice for All (JAF) was formed to defend and advance disability rights. Their Action Alerts provide timely information about action on all kinds of legislation that affect individuals with disabilities. You can click on Past Alerts Archive or join their mailing list to view the Alerts. This site can keep you up-to-date. Adult issues are also included.
The LPCH Grassroots Advocacy Network Center focuses on issues that affect children's health and well-being at the local, state and federal levels. You can sign up to receive their alerts by email.
This site is a good resource for keeping up to date on California legislative issues that affect individuals with mental illness.
The National Coalition of Parent Centers is comprised of Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI's) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRC's) from throughout the country. Their website features updates on IDEA legislation, particularly the reauthorization going on right now, as well as on other issues affecting children with disabilities and their families. Please Note: The National Coalition of Parent Centers website is funded with private funds.
National Down Synrome Society (NDSS)
CentersThe National Down Syndrome Society focuses on people and families of children with Down syndrome and they provide education, research and advocacy services. Their legislation and news page contains Action alerts and Information Bulletins pertaining to these issues.
National Mental Health Association (NMHA) NMHA's Legislative index page contains a monthly list of legislative alerts about issues that impact people with disabilities. Their search page lets you search for new releases & legislative alerts within any specified date range.
UCP's Advocacy and Public Policy page is an excellent resource for monitoring federal legislation that affects individuals with developmental disabilities. It is a good place to start to familiarize yourself with the issues, and from this site you can find out about your legislators (federal,state and local). You may also have the opportunity to send a letter or an email directly to those who are making decisions on this laws. There are hints on writing or contacting your elected representatives, too.
| Getting Involved | Current Issues | Laws | Tracking Action Alerts | Links |
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: February 8, 2006
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