Each state sets eligibility ages for services to children and youth with disabilities. For current information concerning this state, please contact the office listed under Department of Education: Special Education.

State Department of Education: Special Education
Michele Polland, Acting Chief
Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 614
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400 
(850) 245-0475
E-mail: michele.polland@fldoe.org
Web: www.fldoe.org

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Lou Marsh, Senior Policy Director
Exceptional Student Education
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 344
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0501
E-mail: lou.marsh@fldoe.org
Web: www.fldoe.org

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2 
Dr. Phyllis Sloyer, Division Director
Children's Medical Services, Department of Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-06
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1707
(850) 245-4200; (800) 654-4440
E-mail: phyllis_sloyer@doh.state.fl.us
Web: www.cms-kids.com/InfantHome.htm

Lou Ann Long, Director
Florida Directory of Early Childhood Services
2807 Remington Green Circle
Tallahasse, FL 32308
(850) 487-6301; (800) 654-4440
E-mail: lalong@centraldirectory.org
Web: www.centraldirectory.org

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5 
Gladys Wilson, Interim Executive Director
Florida Partnership for School Readiness
600 S. Calhoun Street
Holland Building, Room 251
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0240
(850) 922-4200; (866) 357-3239
E-mail: gladys.wilson@schoolreadiness.org
Web: www.schoolreadiness.org

Lou Ann Long, Director
Florida Directory of Early Childhood Services
2807 Remington Green Circle
Tallahasse, FL 32308
(850) 487-6301; (800) 654-4440
E-mail: lalong@centraldirectory.org
Web: www.centraldirectory.org

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Loretta Costin, Director
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation 
Department of Education
2002 Old St. Augustine Road, Building A
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4862 
(850) 488-6210; (800) 451-4327
Web: www.rehabworks.org

Coordinator for Transition Services 
The Transition Center
University of Florida
P.O. Box 117050
Gainesville, FL 32611-7050 
(352)392-0701, Ext. 267
E-mail: transitioncenter@coe.ufl.edu 
Web: www.thetransitioncenter.org 

Career and Technical Education for Students with Disabilities
Jane Silveria, State Supervisor
Division of Community Colleges & Workforce Education
Department of Education, Turlington Building
325 W. Gaines Street, Room 701
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-9022
E-mail: Jane.Silveria@fldoe.org
Web: www.myfloridaeducation.com/commhome

State Mental Health Agency
R. Ed Miles, Ph.D., Director
Mental Health Programs Office
Department of Children and Families 
1317 Winewood Boulevard, Building 6
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700 
(850) 488-8304 
E-mail: ed_miles@dcf.state.fl.us
Web: www.state.fl.us/cf_web/

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth 
Sue Ross, Chief
Mental Health Programs Office 
Department of Children and Families 
1317 Winewood Boulevard, Building 6, Room 290 
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700 
(850) 488-8304
E-mail: Sue_Ross@dcf.state.fl.us
Web: www.state.fl.us/cf_web/ 

State Developmental Services 
Shelly Brantley, Director
Developmental Disabilities Program 
Florida Department of Children and Families 
1317 Winewood Boulevard, Building 3, Room 325 
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700 
(850) 488-4257
E-mail: Shelly_Brantley@dcf.state.fl.us
Web: www.myflorida.com

State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council 
Debra Dowds, Executive Director
Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc.
124 Marriott Drive, Suite 203
Tallahassee, FL 32301-2981
(850) 488-4180; (800) 580-7801 (in FL) 
Web: www.fddc.org

Protection and Advocacy Agency 
Hubert Grissom, Interim Executive Director
Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities 
2671 Executive Center Circle West, Suite 100
Tallahassee, FL 32301-5092 
(850) 488-9071; (800) 346-4127 (TTY)
(800) 342-0823; (800) 350-4566 (Spanish and Creole Speaking Clients)
E-mail: info@advocacycenter.org
Web: www.AdvocacyCenter.org

Client Assistance Program 
Corey Hinds, CAP Program Director 
Contact Protection and Advocacy Agency listed above

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs 
Dr. Phyllis Sloyer, Division Director
Children's Medical Services, Department of Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-06
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1707
(850) 245-4200; (800) 654-4440
E-mail: phyllis_sloyer@doh.state.fl.us
Web: www.myflorida.com

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
Florida KidCare
Agency for Healthcare Administration
2727 Mahan Drive
Building 3, Mailstop 20
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(888) 540-5437
Web: www.floridakidcare.org

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired 
David Newton, Program Specialist
Division of Blind Services
Department of Education
1320 Executive Center Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32399 
(850) 245-0322; (800) 342-1828 (in FL)
E-mail: david_newton@dbs.doe.state.fl.us
Web: http://myflorida.com/dbs/index.shtml

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Cecil Bradley, VR Administrator
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services and School-to-Work Transition
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Education
2002 Old St. Augustine Road, Building A
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4862
(850) 245-3353; (850) 245-3403 (V)
(850) 245-3413; (850) 245-3404 (TTY)
E-mail: bradlec@vr.doe.state.fl.us
Web: www.rehabworks.org

Telecommunications Relay for People who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf/Blind, or Speech Impaired
James Forstall, Executive Director
Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc.
1820 E. Park Avenue, Suite 101
Tallahassee, FL 32301
E-mail: jforstall@ftri.org
Web: www.ftri.org
Questions or comments: (800) 222-3448 (V); (888) 447-5620 (TTY)
To use the relay dial 711 or the following toll-free numbers:
(800) 955-8771 (TTY) 
(800) 955-8770 (Voice) 
(800) 955-3771 (ASCII) 
(877) 955-8260 (Voice Carry Over-Direct) 
(877) 955-5334 (Speech to Speech ) 
(877) 955-8773 (Spanish) 
(877) 955-8707 (French Cr) 

State Education Agency Rural Representative 
Iris Palazesi, Supervisor
Exceptional Student Education Program Development and Services 
Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines, Suite 601
Tallahaseee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0478
E-mail: iris.palazesi@fldoe.org
Web: www.myfloridaeducation.com/commhome

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center 
Shelley Kaplan, Project Director
Southeast Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center
Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access
Georgia Tech
490 10th Street
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 385-0636; (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: sedbtac@catea.org
Web: www.sedbtac.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Daniel Armstrong, Director 
Mailman Center for Child Development 
University of Miami School of Medicine 
1601 N.W. 12th Avenue
Miami, FL 33136
(305) 243-6801
E-mail: darmstrong@miami.edu
Web: http://pediatrics.med.miami.edu

Technology-Related Assistance 
Jane E. Johnson, Director
Florida Alliance for Assistive Service and Technology
325 John Knox Road, Building B
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 487-3278; (888) 788-9216
(850) 922-5951 (TTY)
E-mail: faast@faast.org
Web: http://faast.org/

State Mediation System
Eileen Amy, Administrator
ESE Program Administration and Quality Assurance
Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services
Florida Department of Education 
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 614
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0476
E-mail: eileen.amy@fldoe.org
Web: www.myfloridaeducation.com/commhome

Special Format Library
Michael Gunde, Bureau Chief 
Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services
420 Platt Street 
Daytona Beach, FL 32114-2804 
(386) 239-6000; (800) 226-6075
(800) 955-8771 (TTY)
E-mail: mike_gunde@dbs.doe.state.fl.us
Web: http://myflorida.com/dbs/library/index.shtml 

Disability-Specific Organizations

Attention Deficit Disorder
To identify an ADD group in your state or locality, contact either:

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
8181 Professional Place, Suite 150
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 306-7070
(800) 233-4050 (Voice mail to request information packet)
Web: www.chadd.org

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
P.O. Box 543
Pottstown, PA 19464
(484) 945-2101
Web: www.add.org

Autism
Autism Society of Florida, Inc.
P.O. Box 970646
Coconut Creek, FL 33097
(954) 349-2820
Web: www.autismfl.com

Holly Bortfeld, President
Autism Recovery Network
80 Chaney Drive
Casselberry, FL 32707
(407) 695-6092
E-mail: maximom@mindspring.com
Web: www.geocities.com/ARNFL

Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD)
(One of six regional centers for autism and related disabilities)
University of Florida
P.O. Box 100234
Gainesville, FL 32610
(352) 846-2761; (800) 754-5891
E-mail: card@mbi.ufl.edu
Web: www.card.ufl.edu
To identify the CARD serving your region, either call the 800 number above, or visit:
www.card.ufl.edu/state.html

Blind/Visual Impairments
Frances Mary D'Andrea, Director
American Foundation for the Blind-National Literacy Center
100 Peachtree Street, Suite 620
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 525-2303
E-mail: literacy@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Brain Injury
Elynor Kazuk, Executive Director
Brain Injury Association of Florida (BIAF)
North Broward Medical Center
201 E. Sample Road
Pompano Beach, FL 33064
(954) 786-2400; (800) 992-3442 (in FL)
E-mail: info@biaf.org
Web: www.biaf.org

Cerebral Palsy 
Gloria Wetherington, President of the Board of Directors
United Cerebral Palsy of Florida 
1830 Buford Court
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 878-2141

Down Syndrome
Diane DeBraga, Director
Broward Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization
10250 NW 53rd Street
Sunrise, FL 33351
(954) 577-4122
E-mail: jmaia@aol.com
Web: www.bgcdownsyndrome.org

Epilepsy 
Sheryl Mosley, Program Manager
Epilepsy Services Program
Florida Department of Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-18
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1744
(850) 245-4330
E-mail: sheryl_mosley@doh.state.fl.us
Web: www.floridaepilepsy.org
Web: www.doh.state.fl.us/family/epilepsy/index.html

Learning Disabilities 
Cheryl Kron, Executive Secretary
Learning Disabilities Association of Florida (LDAF)
331 E. Henry Street
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
(941) 637-8957
E-mail: ldaf00@sunline.net
Web: www.lda-fl.org

Mental Health
Lynne Hernandez, Executive Director
Center for Child and Adolescent Resources
NAMI-Florida
911 E. Park Avenue
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 671-4445, ext. 23
E-mail: helpline@namifl.org
Web: www.namifl.org

Mental Retardation/ Developmental Disabilities
John Hall, Executive Director
ARC/Florida
2898 Mahan Drive, Suite 1
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 921-0460 
E-mail: arcofflorida@comcast.net
Web: www.arcflorida.org

Speech and Hearing
Tina Kautter, Executive Director
Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (FLASHA)
P.O. Box 150127
Altamonte Springs, FL 32715-0127
(407) 774-7880; (800) 243-3574
E-mail: tkautter@kmg.com

Spina Bifida
Stephanie King, Executive Director
Spina Bifida Association of Florida of Jacksonville, Inc.
807 Children's Way
Jacksonville, FL 32207
(904) 390-3686; (800) 722-6355
E-mail: sbaj@sbaj.org
Web: www.sbaj.org

Organizations Especially for Parents and Caregivers

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) 
Jan LaBelle, Executive Director
Nancy Gonsalves, Project Co-Director
Milagros Pou, Project Co-Director
Family Network on Disabilities of Florida, Inc.
Parent Education Network
2735 Whitney Road
Clearwater, FL 33760-1610
(727) 523-1130; (800) 825-5736 (In Fl only)
E-mail: pen@fndfl.org
Web: www.fndfl.org/

Parent-To-Parent 
Diane Heffernan-Joslin, Director
Parent to Parent of Florida
Family Network on Disabilities of Florida, Inc.
2735 Whitney Road
Clearwater, FL 33760-1610
(727) 523-1130; (800) 825-5736 (In Fl only)
E-mail: Diane@FNDFL.org
Web: http://fndfl.org/

Community Parent Resource Center 
Isabel Garcia, Executive Director
Parent to Parent of Miami, Inc.
Community Parent Resource Center
7990 S.W. 117th Avenue, Suite 201
Miami, FL 33183
(305) 271-9797; (800) 527-9552
E-mail: info@ptopmiami.org
Web: www.ptopmiami.org

Parent Teacher Association (PTA) 
Pat Lancaster, President
Janice Bailey, Executive Director
Florida Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc.
1747 Orlando Central Parkway
Orlando, FL 32809-5757
(407) 855-7604
E-mail: janice@floridapta.org
Web: www.floridapta.org

Other Parent Organization 
Paula Kendig, Coordinator
Parent Resource Organization
(for information and training on early intervention)
2921 Inverness Place
Pensacola, FL 32503
(850) 434-8131; (850) 206-7851 (Cell)
E-mail: PKendig@aol.com

Other Disability Organizations
Robert Griggs, President
Easter Seals Florida
2010 Mizell Avenue
Winterpark, FL 32792
(407) 629-7881
E-mail: info@fl.easterseals.org
Web: www.fl.easterseals.com

Terry R. Farmer, President/CEO
Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Inc.
2475 Apalachee Parkway, Suite 205
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4946
(850) 877-4816
E-mail: tfarmer@floridaarf.org
Web: www.floridaarf.org

Marian Winters, Executive Director
VSA arts of Florida
3500 E. Fletcher Avenue, Suite 234
Tampa, FL 33613
(813) 558-5095
E-mail: mwinters@tempest.coedu.usf.edu
Web: www.vsafl.org

Independent Living 

To find out the contact information for the Statewide 
Independent Living Council (SILC) in your state, contact:
Independent Living Research Utilization Project
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research
2323 South Sheppard, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 520-0232 (V); (713) 520-5136 (TTY)
E-mail: ilru@ilru.org
Web: www.ilru.org

To find out the contact information for centers for 
independent living (CILs) in your state, contact:
National Council on Independent Living
1916 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 209
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 525-3406; (703) 525-4153 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org