EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES
Having a baby who has special
needs entitles a family to certain supports, services, and rights under the
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In this federal
law, the section that guarantees supports and services for children from birth
to three years old (referred to as Early Intervention Services) is called Part
C, and is known in Colorado as "Early Childhood Connections for Infants,
Toddlers and Families". The intent of Part C of IDEA and Early
Childhood Connections is to enhance the development of infants and toddlers who
have developmental delays by enabling families to enhance the development of
their children in their home and community.
Infants and
toddlers who have significant delays in one or more areas of development are
eligible for Early Childhood Connections. These developmental areas
are: babbling/talking (communication); moving (physical or motor);
hearing/seeing (sensory); learning (cognition); playing and interacting (social
emotional); and self help skills (adaptive development). In addition,
infants and toddlers with a diagnosed physical or medical condition that has a
high probability of resulting in developmental delays are eligible even when
they are not exhibiting delays in development at the time of diagnosis - they
are eligible simply because of their diagnosis. Examples of such
conditions include: chromosomal syndromes and conditions (Down
Syndrome, Fragile X, Chromosomal deletions and duplications); congenital
syndromes and conditions (Spina Bifida, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Central Nervous
System malformations); sensory impairments (hearing or visual impairments);
metabolic disorders (hypothyroidism [untreated], Lipidoses); prenatal and
perinatal infections resulting in significant medical problems (HIV,
intrauterine exposure to toxic substances, Cerebral Palsy, Meningitis); low
birth weight infants weighing less than 1200 grams (2 lbs, 10 oz); and postnatal
acquired problems resulting in delays in development, including but not limited
to severe attachment disorder.
In El Paso County
(Colorado Springs area), Early Childhood Connections is implemented by Resources
for Young Children and Families (see Contacts/Links for contact
information).
SPECIAL EDUCATION
SERVICES
The Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) ensures that all kids from 3 to 21 years old can go to
school and have a fair chance to learn. Getting a fair chance to
learn, for children with disabilities, means getting school services that meet
their individual needs. To meet individual needs, schools provide
specially designed instruction which translates to adapting and modifying what
and how schools teach. To ensure services are individualized, schools
provide services according to an Individualized Education Program or
IEP. All of this is done to ensure kids with disabilities have a fair
chance to learn.
Eligibility for special education services
is determined through the Individualized Education Program (IEP)
process. In this process, a student is first referred for evaluations
to determine whether the student has special needs and is eligible for IDEA
services. After the evaluations are completed, an IEP team comprised
of necessary school staff, the student's parents, and, at the parent's or
school's discretion, other individuals who know about the student's
needs. The IEP team will determine whether the student has an
impairment and, if so, whether the student needs special education and related
services. Impairments include mental retardation, hearing
impairments (including deafness), speech or language impairments, visual
impairments (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic
impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, or
specific learning disabilities.
Should your child already
have an IEP in place from another state or Department of Defense school, ensure
that it is HAND CARRIED along with all educational records. DO NOT
pack these important documents in hold baggage or household
goods. Doing so will result in a delay of continuity of special
education services received at the losing school. Also, keep in mind that,
according to the law, Colorado schools do not have to implement the IEP as
written from the losing school. While the schools districts will do
so to the best of their ability, an IEP meeting will be scheduled to write a
Colorado IEP. This process can be facilitated quickly if the IEP is
presented to school officials upon enrollment of your child in his/her
respective school.
There are ten public school
districts in Colorado Springs and surrounding communities (no Department of
Defense Dependent Schools [DoDDS]). Where you choose to live
determines what school district your child/youth will attend. All
school districts are committed to providing access to and participation in
programs and activities that are age appropriate and meet the educational needs
of students with identified disabilities in accordance with the
IDEA. Educational services are available across the continuum from
full inclusion in the general education classroom to off-campus alternative
settings, homebound or residential placement. Some school districts
contract with the Pikes Peak Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or
BOCES, to provide the most appropriate educational services in the least
restrictive setting. Students are placed in their neighborhood
schools if possible. If placement in the neighborhood school does not
meet the need of the student, transportation to the service school is
provided.
Additionally, Colorado Springs is home to the Colorado School
for the Deaf and the Blind (see Contacts/Links for contact
information). The CSDB is a state-funded school within the Colorado
Department of Education. The school was established for the purpose of providing
comprehensive educational services for children who are blind/low vision and/or
deaf/hard of hearing birth to age twenty-one. Services are provided
directly to students enrolled at the school and through outreach services, which
are provided to students, staff, and families in public schools throughout
Colorado.
Whether working with students in their home districts or on the
campus in Colorado Springs, CSDB retains a skilled and talented staff that
strives for excellence in all that they do and are deeply committed to providing
quality services for all students. They continue to identify and
implement innovative instructional strategies, introducing students to new
technologies and experiences, and offering resource services to parents,
schools, and communities throughout the state.
See Contacts/Links for
contact information on each of the school districts in the Colorado Springs area
and for more information on their special education programs.
PARENT
TRAINING AND INFORMATION CENTERS
Peak Parent Center, located in Colorado
Springs, is Colorado's Parent Training and Information Center. Peak
Parent Center is a statewide organization of parents of children with
disabilities reaching out to assist other parents and
professionals. The mission of PEAK is a commitment that children,
youth, and adults with disabilities lead rich, active lives and participate as
full members of their schools and
communities. Peak
Parent Center assists families of children with disabilities; friends of
children with disabilities; individuals with disabilities; and professionals in
education, medical and human service fields.
Peak Parent
Center offers up-to-date disability information; information about the special
education process and parents' rights; SPEAKout newsletter; inclusion resources
that show how students can be successfully included in general education
classrooms; referral to medical, educational, or human services; trainings in
understanding IEP's, IDEA'97, Building Continuity: Grade to Grade,
Accommodations & Modifications, Advocacy, Tolerance, and Friendship; the
annual Conference on Inclusive Education and School Reform in Colorado; state of
the art publications filled with strategies for families and teachers; and a
calendar of parent support activities in Colorado sponsored by the Colorado
Department of Education.
THE RESOURCE EXCHANGE
The Resource
Exchange is a non-profit organization which functions as the Community Centered
Board for El Paso, Park and Teller counties in Colorado. We are responsible for
the development, implementation and coordination of services and supports to
children and adults with developmental disabilities.
The
agency is committed to creating opportunities for those with developmental
disabilities. The Resource Exchange, in cooperation with other
provider agencies, offers a number of options for people with developmental
disabilities and their families. Services include: Residential, Family Support,
Supported Living, Vocational, Transportation, Resource Coordination and Early
Intervention.
COLORADO YELLOW PAGES FOR KIDS WITH DISABILITIES
At
the Colorado Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities, you will find educational
consultants, psychologists, diagnosticians, health care specialists, academic
tutors, speech language therapists, advocates, and attorneys. You will also find
government programs, grassroots organizations, special education schools,
disability information groups, parent support groups and advocacy
groups. Visit the website in Contacts/Links for a comprehensive and
extensive listing of disability related organizations in Colorado.
FAMILY
VOICES OF COLORADO
Family Voices of Colorado is a chapter of the
national, grassroots organization composed of families and friends who care for
and about our children with special health care needs. The primary
goal of the organization is to ensure that our children's health is addressed
amidst change in public and private health care systems. It is
estimated that at least 12.6 million children have, or are at risk of having, a
disability or chronic health condition of some kind--- that's about 18% of all
children in this country.
All 50 states and the Virgin Islands are part
of the national Family Voices network. There are coordinators in
every state. All of them are parents or caregivers of children with
chronic health conditions or disabilities. National staff members in five states
provide assistance to the state affiliates and run national projects and policy
initiatives. A board of directors oversees the activities of Family
Voices Colorado. Family Voices Colorado is housed under CP of
Colorado's organizational umbrella, within their Statewide Services
Department.
Family Voices gathers and provides information
about health care issues affecting our children for service providers, public
policy officials, health payers systems and any others interested in improving
health care systems for kids with special health care needs.
Family
Voices encourages and supports families in their role of advocating for their
child's health care. Effective advocacy involves partnering with a child's
health care providers, knowing how to navigate health payer systems, and having
influence over the decisions that are made at the local, state and national
levels that affect children's health care access.
SPECIALIZED
TRAINING OF MILITARY PARENTS (STOMP)
STOMP is a federally funded Parent
Training and Information (PTI) Center established to assist military families
who have children with special education or health needs. STOMP began in 1985,
it is a project of Washington PAVE, and is funded through a grant from the U.S.
Department of Education.
The staff of the STOMP Project are parents of
children who have disabilities and have experience in raising their children in
military communities and traveling with their spouses to different locations.
STOMP serves families in four main ways: 1. By providing
information and training about Laws, regulations and resources for military
families of children with
disabilities
2. By connecting families
to other families
3. By assisting
parents and professionals in developing their own community parent
education/support group
4. By providing a
voice to raise awareness of issues faced by military families of children with
disabilities.
For military families of children with disabilities, STOMP
is a one-stop shop for information and training regarding special education and
other resources. STOMP is proud to be a Project of Washington PAVE, a grass
roots parent-directed organization. This is a powerful combination that brings
together:
-- Expert, comprehensive knowledge on disability/
special education laws, rights, regulations and responsibilities as they pertain
to military families
-- A wealth of personal experience, network
of personal contacts
-- A parent driven approach
This combination allows STOMP to deliver
training information and to facilitate empowerment beyond our
resources.
COLORADO DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES COUNCIL
The mission
of the CDDC is to advocate in collaboration with and on behalf of people with
developmental disabilities for the establishment and implementation of public
policy which will further their independence, productivity and integration.
The CDDC, being federally funded, uses the federal definition of
developmental disability. What is the Federal Definition of
Developmental Disabilities? In P.L. 106-402, the Developmental
Disabilities Act, the term "developmental disability" means a severe, chronic
disability of an individual that--
(A) is attributable to a
mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairment;
(B) is manifested before the individual attains age 22;
(C) is likely to continue indefinitely;
(D) results in substantial functional limitations in 3 or
more of the following areas of major life activity:
(i) self-care;
(ii) receptive
and expressive language;
(iii) learning;
(iv)
mobility;
(v) self-direction;
(vi)
capacity for independent living; and
(vii) economic
self-sufficiency; and
(E) reflects the individual's need for
a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic services,
individualized supports, or other forms of assistance that are of lifelong or
extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated.
An
individual from birth to age 9, inclusive, who has substantial developmental
delay or specific congenital or acquired conditions may be considered to have a
developmental disability without meeting 3 or more of the criteria described
above in (A) through (E) if the individual, without services and supports, has a
high probability of meeting those criteria later in life.
LOCAL SUPPORT
GROUPS
The Pikes Peak Library District has established an extraordinary
Community Database that provides comprehensive information on nearly 700 social
service and community action agencies in the Colorado Springs area, to include
70 listings for support groups alone. To access support group
information, visit their website in Contacts/Links.
COLORADO SPRINGS
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION SERVICES
Vocational Rehabilitation provides
goods and/or services necessary to help individuals with disabilities to secure
and/or retain employment; Rehabilitation Engineering and other technological
services are available; Independent living can be arranged through Independent
Living Centers in local communities.
Clients benefit by securing gainful
employment, achieving self-sufficiency, increasing self-esteem, improved quality
of life, and decreased dependency on Public Assistance
Programs.
Individuals who are eligible for rehabilitation services have
the following responsibilities: To participate cooperatively in the
development and implementation of their Individualized Written Rehabilitation
Plan [IWRP]; to participate financially in their rehabilitation program to the
best of their ability; to cooperate with The Division Of Vocational
Rehabilitation in locating sources of funding for services which may be
available to them through other programs.
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY
INSURANCE (SSDI)/SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME (SSI)
The SSDI program
provides monthly cash benefits to disabled or blind people who are "insured" by
workers' contributions to the Social Security trust fund. These contributions
are the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) social security tax paid on
your earnings or those of your spouse or parents.
The SSI program makes
cash assistance payments to aged, blind, and disabled people (including children
under age 18) who have limited income and resources. The federal government
funds SSI from general tax revenues. The states pay benefits in different ways:
Some states pay benefits to some people to supplement their federal benefits.
Some of these states combine the supplementary payment and the federal payment
into one monthly check. Other states manage their own programs and make their
payments separately.
MEDICAID
Medicaid is a program that pays for
medical assistance for certain individuals and families with low incomes and
resources. This program became law in 1965 and is jointly funded by the Federal
and State governments (including the District of Columbia and the Territories)
to assist States in providing medical long-term care assistance to people who
meet certain eligibility criteria. Medicaid is the largest source of funding for
medical and health-related services for people with limited income.