This page lists several valuable resources for families caring for a child with a disability.

Infant & Toddler Connection Program - Also known as Virginia Early Intervention, this is a program through your local County’s Public Schools for children age 0-3. If your child is under the age of 3 and you’re concerned about your child’s physical and cognitive development, use this resource for an evaluation and possibly qualify for therapeutic services covered by the public schools. You can also find more information found here.

VCU Children’s Hospital Development Center - If you are concerned about your child’s development, speak with our child’s pediatric doctor. The doctor should refer you to a Developmental Pediatrician who will evaluate your child further. Note: you may have to see several Developmental Pediatric doctors and/or Pediatric Psychologists if you do not agree with a certain diagnosis or lack of diagnosis. Hanover Yoga & Wellness Founder, Sarah Horne highly recommends the Developmental Pediatricians at VCU Children’s Hospital; however, there are many great Developmental Pediatricians in and around the Richmond area. This will bring up questions of what doctors are covered on your Private Health Insurance or Medicaid Health Insurance. This can be a very long process, and we understand the emotional toll it takes on families.

Better2gether - This non-profit supports children specifically with complex medical needs and their caregivers. Better2gether is proud to partner with the Children’s Hospital of Richmond Complex Care Clinic. If your child has complex medical needs, use this resource.

Community Service Board - Once your child has received an official diagnosis from an appropriate doctor, you will next want to contact your local Community Service Board (CSB) to inform your local Department of Social Services of your child’s diagnosis and request an evaluation for eligibility to be added to the Developmental Disability Waiver Waitlist. The CSB Case Manager will need documentation of the official diagnosis(es) provided by your doctor. Then ask your local CSB Case manager about other Medicaid funded Long-Term Care programs to support your child’s disability, like the CCC+ Waiver (your child can only qualify for this waiver once they have been evaluated by your local Health Department and meet the criteria for Long-Term Care). And, check with your Private Health Insurance to updated your child’s Medical Diagnosis on your Private Health Insurance Plan to see what therapeutic services and Long-Term Care services your plan covers to support your child’s diagnosis (unfortunately, most private insurance do not cover LTC for minors). If you don’t have Private Health Insurance and your household is under the poverty income limit, you can apply for TANF to receive therapeutic and medical services covered by Medicaid and qualify for EPSDT Waiver (you can only qualify for this waiver if you qualify for Medicaid, since its funded by Medicaid). If you have more questions about this process, contact one of the following resources to support you individually. We all understand this process is way too confusing, and we all needed help doing it.

Whole Family Foundation - This is the encyclopedia of resources for families supporting an individual with a disability. This non-profit also provides valuable information on caregiver support, transportation and traveling support, home access as well as resources on housing options, and medical equipment resources all on their website. If you need all the available resources out there, use this resource.

PEACT - Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center - PEACT offers 1:1 phone consultation support for families caring for a child from infant to age 26. If you need support accessing services for your child at school or in the community, contact PEACT. If your child is attending public schools and has a disability or developmental delay, you will need to set up an IEP (Individual Education Plan) at your school for your child, and if needed a Behavioral Intervention Plan too. This can be an overwhelming and intimidating process for parents/caregivers. PEACT is there to help! From speaking to someone on the phone, to fun educational events, to preformatted leader head PDFs for your IEP meetings, use this resource.

Partnership for People with Disabilities - The Partnership for People with Disabilities, an affiliate of the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), is Virginia's only University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities funded by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. Founded in 1985, the mission of the Partnership is to partner with people with disabilities and others to build communities where all people can live, learn, work, and play together. This resources is great for any parent, individual, and/or professional supporting a disability.

Center For Family Involvement (CFI) - In partnership with VCU, CFI works with families to increase their skills as advocates, mentors, and leaders so families, children, and young adults with disabilities can lead the lives they want. This is an overall great resource offered by VCU to directly support families and educate the disabilities community.

Family To Family - In partnership with VCU and Center for Family Involvement, F2F offers access to quality peer emotional support for families of individuals with disabilities and/or special health care needs. Even within the disability community, there are smaller communities of different diagnoses and different challenges. If you need to talk to another family going through what you are going through, use this resource.

Children's Assistive Technology Service (CATS) - Established in July 2014 to provide assistive technology to families and children, C.A.T.S. has become the largest provider of no-cost pediatric adaptive and rehabilitative equipment in VA. If you need adaptive equipment for your child, waiting on insurance, and/or can’t get approved for equipment, use this resource!

The Arc of VA - The VA chapter of The Arc. The Arc of VA is a non-profit made up of, and led by, people with developmental disabilities, their families and allies. The Arc of VA also does tremendous work in advocating to our local legislators at the General Assembly regarding passing new bills to support individuals with intellectual disabilities to fund important services needed, including the DD Waiver listed above. If your child or teenager or adult family member has an intellectual disability or developmental delay and you are looking for events, peer connections, volunteering, and/or the best place for advocacy, use this resource!

The Virginia Down Syndrome Association - In partnership with National Down Syndrome Society, this non-profit is a community of individuals with Down Syndrome, their family members and caregivers, friends, and professionals all committed to creating a community where all individuals with Down Syndrome are valued. The VA Down Syndrome Associate does tremendous work in advocating to our local legislators at the General Assembly regarding passing new bills to support individuals with Down Syndrome and intellectual delays and bring awareness to this diagnosis. If your child has a diagnosis of Down Syndrome, use this resource!

The Autism Society of Central VA - The VA Chapter of Autism Society of America. This is the region’s premier non-profit sources of education, advocacy, services, and support for individuals with autism, their families and friends, and professionals. The Autism Society also does tremendous work in advocating to our local legislators at the General Assembly regarding passing new bills to support the Autistic community and bring awareness to the complex diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the financial challenges it brings upon families. If your child has a diagnosis of Autism (Level, 1,2,3), Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, PDA, and/or Developmental Delays, use this resource!

Parks & Recreation - Check online with your local Parks & Rec to see what fun and exciting therapeutic programs are offered in your area for children and adults with special needs. If they don’t offer anything, call your local Parks & Rec and suggest they offer programs for folks with developmental and physical disabilities.

REACHcycles - Yes, get your kid a bike! This is an all volunteer non-profit dedicated to creating mobility and independence to children with disabilities. Yes, they hook up disabled kids with adaptive bikes! This is such a great and fun experience for everyone. If you’re kids wants a bike, use this resource!

Commonwealth Autism - This non-profit’s mission is to foster inclusivity and support within the Autism community by offering workforce development programs for autistic individuals seeking employment and training. If your child wants to find employment in the future, use this resource!

Disabledperson, Inc. - This is a great non-profit helping folks with disabilities find employment. If your loved has a disability and looking for a job, use this resource!

Virginia Department of Education Secondary Transition - VDOE provides services to prepare adolescences with disabilities to transition to adulthood. This resources provides information as to why it is so important to plan early.

My Life, My Community - Once your child has been approved for the DD Waiver, this resource helps families navigate what services are available in their area covered by the DD Waiver. If your child is still on the DD Waiver Waitlist, contact your CSB Case Manager for all current resources available for individuals on the Waitlist.

Eli’s Village Special Needs Planning - It is never too early to start planning financially for this life, for their life. If you are seeking Special Needs Financial Planning, use this resource!

Leadership for Empowerment and Abuse Prevention (LEAP) - Developed in collaboration between VCU's School of Social Work and the Partnership for People with Disabilities, LEAP provides training on healthy relationships and information about preventing abuse to adults with disabilities. Unfortunately, folks with disabilities are the highest population to experience abuse. If you are seeking resources for your loved one to stay safe and learn about healthy relationships, use this resource.

Quillo - This is an empowering platform for sharing stories, resources and knowledge for people with disabilities, support staff, and their families. If you’re looking for a buddy to connect with to share resources about Virginia’s Developmental Disability Waiver and share stories, use this resource.

God bless you all on this journey.