Caring for a Disabled Child

July 1999

Hi, I don't have a child with CP, but I know of a wonderful resource, if you don't know about them already. Contact the Family Resource Network. They are advocates for families who have children with disabilities (of all kinds) and have advocates who specialize in specific health and ethnicity concerns. They have a wealth of information about how to deal with everything from support groups to educational questions (iep's, transportation, occupational therapy) to parenting issues to dealing with beauracratic agencies (Social Security, Social Services, Regional Center). They were an incredible asset to my best friend, when her 1yr old was diagnosed with Autism while she was a Junior here at Cal. With their help, she was able to deal with the emotional and everyday issues of raising an Autistic child and she was able to graduate and become an advocate herself. If you don't live in Northern Alameda County, call them anyway, they will be able to put you in contact with another FRN or similar group in your area. Their phone number is 547-7322. They are located in the same building as Bananas, on Claremont Ave. Good Luck and take good care of yourself!

July 1999

There is an extensive internet network of families with children with disabilities. You can start with http://www.ataccess.org/ , the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA), connecting children and adults with disabilities to technology tools; also see the ATA links page http://www.ataccess.org/ATResourceLibrary/Links/default.html