Information helps you to see that you're not alone. - Maya Angelou
Finding the right information in the special needs community can be really frustrating. States, cities, and even counties all have different acronyms, terms, and resource providers. I have spent many, many, many hours researching and rooting out resources for parents, teachers, and service providers that have the potential to make a huge difference in the lives of young people with special needs. So, whether you’re a teacher looking for resources to give parents or if you need after school care for your child with Autism. These are a few of the resources I have located and I promise to keep updating this page as I learn about more.
National Resources:
Some resources are not state specific and can be helpful no matter which state you are living in. Here are some I have found to be valuable.
Autism Resources by Elemy (Browse the Elemy site for a variety of different types of assistance for supporting people with Autism)
National Down Syndrome Congress
Winter Park, Colorado with the NSCD
Colorado Resources
Colorado has some excellent resources for special needs. I had the immense pleasure of working with the National Sports Center for the Disabled doing their ski program and couldn’t recommend them more. Check out this list of great Colorado Resources. (Important new update for parents who may be looking at the need for alternative living placements: check out the new benefits being offered in the CHRP waiver)
Advocacy and More:
In this section you can find advocacy groups and other organizations that support and collaborate with the disabled community.
Atlantis Community: “With a dynamic history and promising future, Atlantis Community, Inc. has proudly served the Denver community for over forty years. After touching countless lives, we are excited to work with you and our partners to continue to provide quality services and support to the disabled community.” This organization supports the disabled community through advocacy work, promoting social groups, peer support, and the transition to independent living, as well as much more!
Ability Connection Colorado: Ability Connection Colorado has a long history in the disabled community, providing thoughtful, quality resources for the disabled community in the areas of Education, Employment, and Support.
Bayaud Enterprises: Vocational Services: Supports the disabled community “by providing employment training, assessment, coaching, placement, and supported employment. We believe that helping individuals gain self-reliance is foundational to the health of individuals, families, communities, and the economy of Colorado.”
Developmental Disabilities Resource Center (DDRC): Works to “Create Opportunities for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and their Families to Participate Fully in the Community through serving individuals who have developmental disabilities and their families. We believe that every individual in our society should be guaranteed the same rights and privileges and attain the highest level of independence that they are able. We are dedicated to providing the information and educational resources that can promote and protest those rights and to helping to meet significant unmet needs.”
Recreation and Summer Camps:
In this section you can find recreational organizations that work specifically with youth and adults with special needs to engage them in recreational therapies and exploring hobbies.
The National Sports Center for the Disabled: “The NSCD offers adaptive lessons for individuals and groups of people with disabilities in a variety of action sports, adventure sports and competitive programs. Athletes with any physical, cognitive, emotional or behavioral diagnosis can participate in sports and recreation programs year-round in Colorado’s Front Range and mountains.”
Camp Paha : Lakewood Therapeutic Recreation offers two different summer programs:
“Camp Paha for youth ages 6 to 17: Camp Paha provides an array of activities including swimming, sports, games, nature, music, drama, hiking, arts and crafts and field trips within the community. Camp Paha is licensed by the State of Colorado as a childcare program.
Paha Adults in Transition (PAT) for young adults ages 18 to 25. In addition to leisure and recreation opportunities, PAT focuses on skill building and independence, developing work skills, self-advocacy, safety and life skill development. PAT participants engage in daily activities, and they plan for and go on field trips within the community.”
Adaptive Recreation: “Denver Parks & Recreation (DPR) offers therapeutic programs for people with disabilities at any age. Through numerous leisure activities, Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS) and other DPR team members create opportunities to improve quality of life, foster independence and boost self-esteem.”
Wayfaring Band: Our mission is to foster inclusion, interdependence, and genuine connection between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities by crafting original, transformative adventures for a neurodiverse band of travelers.
Respite Care and Behavioral Therapy:
In this section you can find after school and summer care options for your child or adult with special needs. You can get care services through Medicaid! Don’t be afraid to reach out to one of these service providers, there is a very good chance you will not pay anything for these services.
Parker Personal Care Homes: PPCH offers several different options for getting outside-of-school care for children or adults with special needs. They also will come to your home and help teach you and your child behavioral therapy techniques to make seamless transitions between school and home.
Trumpet Behavioral Health: Trumpet helps individuals with autism spectrum disorder, social communication disorders, and developmental delays using ABA. Trumpet has in home and on site services including aggression and anger management as well as teen social groups. (Bonus! Trumpet has services in 7 different states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas!)
Muir Beach, California
California Resources
California has a wealth of support systems for children and adults with disabilities. Check out this list of California specific resources that I have found to be beneficial.
Advocacy and More:
In this section you can find advocacy groups and other organizations that support and collaborate with the disabled community.
TASK : “TASK specializes in special education support for people with disabilities from birth to age 26 and their families. (They) help families understand their rights, the processes for requesting assessments, strategies for preparing for the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and transition planning, among other things.”
Recreation and Summer Camps:
In this section you can find recreational organizations that work specifically with youth and adults with special needs to engage them in recreational therapies and exploring hobbies.
Creative Growth : Creative Growth Studio is a non-profit art program that pairs people with special needs with professional artists and allows them the opportunity to explore a huge variety of art media and to sell their art in gallery showings. Art made in the Creative Growth Studio by special needs artists can be seen in galleries all over the world including MoMA and the Smithsonian.
California Camps List: This searchable list of summer programs in California is very user friendly. With multiple search options, including being able to search by specific disability, you are bound to find something that suits you. I suggest checking out Tikvah.
Respite Care and Family Advocacy:
In this section you can find after school and summer care options for your child or adult with special needs. You can get care services through Medicaid! Don’t be afraid to reach out to one of these service providers, there is a very good chance you will not pay anything for these services.
National Respite Network: This site does an amazing job walking families and care providers through finding and funding respite care services. With an easy to use layout and Q&A section, you will be sure to find what you need.
Trumpet Behavioral Health: Trumpet helps individuals with autism spectrum disorder, social communication disorders, and developmental delays using ABA. Trumpet has in home and on site services including aggression and anger management as well as teen social groups. (Bonus! Trumpet has services in 7 different states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas!)