| Resource | About | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Arc of Massachusetts | The Arc of Massachusetts provides education and systems advocacy to consumers, families, human services organizations, the public, legislators, other public officials, and the executive branch of state government. | thearcofmass.org |
| Asperger/Autism Network (AANE) | Helps people with Asperger Syndrome and other similar autism spectrum profiles build meaningful, connected lives by providing information, education, community, support, and advocacy. | aane.org |
| Autism Housing Pathways | Autism Housing Pathways (AHP) was created to provide information, support and resources for families who want to create secure, supported housing for their adult children with disabilities. | autismhousingpathways.org |
| Autism Insurance Resource Center | A resource for consumers, providers, clinicians, employers, and educators on issues related to medical insurance for autism treatment. | disabilityinfo.org/arica |
| Children & Youth With Special Health Care Needs Program/DPH | The Division for Children & Youth with Special Health Needs at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health works with families, providers, and others to support children and youth with special health needs, aged birth to 22, and their families. | mass.gov/dph |
| Disability Law Center | Provides free legal assistance and training to people with disabilities throughout the state in special education, accessibility, and discrimination. | dlc-ma.org |
| EI Parent Leadership Project | The Parent Leadership Project was formed by parents and is staffed by parents whose children have received early intervention services. | eiplp.org |
| Family Ties | A statewide information, referral, and parent-to-parent support network. You can print this comprehensive, free resource guide by download, or can get it by mail. | massfamilyties.org |
| Federation for Children with Special Needs | Provides information, support, and assistance to parents of children with disabilities, their professional partners, and communities through its website, publications, phone consultations, conferences, workshops, etc. | fcsn.org |
| MA Down Syndrome Congress | Statewide parent organization that holds an annual conference, picnic, and workshops throughout the year. Publishes a newsletter for parents and maintains a list of parent support groups. | mdsc.org |
| MA Sibling Support Network | Committed to supporting brothers and sisters of people with disabilities by creating welcoming communities for siblings through their lives. | masiblingsupport.org |
| Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change | MFOFC is a statewide grassroots coalition of families dedicated to individual and family empowerment and social inclusion by advocacy and family leadership training. | mfofc.org |
| MASS-MA Advocates Standing Strong | A statewide self-advocacy organization to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are treated equally. Its mission is to empower self-advocates through education. | massadvocatesstandingstrong.org |
| New England INDEX | Free information and referral about programs and services to individuals with disabilities in Massachusetts. | disabilityinfo.org |
| Rewarding Work Respite Directory | This directory helps families to find respite workers when they’re needed. Families can search for individual workers or post a job opening using the password “ddsconnect.” | massrespitedirectory.org |
| Special Olympics Massachusetts | Provides year-round sports training, athletic competition, and other health-related programming for athletes with intellectual disabilities. | specialolympicsma.org |
| Statewide Family Support Directory | A great DDS resource to help families and supporters to access family-support and autism-support centers and other family support programs, as well as DDS area, regional, and statewide offices. | mass.gov/lists/dds-family-support-services-information#dds-family-support-directory- |
| Transition Information Fact Sheets | A series of transition fact sheets developed by DDS that provide “Important Transition Information Every Family Should Know.” | mass.gov/lists/essential-dds-transition-information |
This section provides you with additional community resources.