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Pennsylvania 
Disability Information

Age of Eligibility

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 
Bureau of Special Education
Department of Education 
333 Market Street, 7th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 
(717) 783-6913
Special Education Consultline: (800) 879-2301(V/TTY)
Web: www.pde.state.pa.us

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Carina Wong, Director
Bureau of Assessment and Accountability
Department of Education 
333 Market Street, 10th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 
(717) 787-5820
Web: www.pde.state.pa.us

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2 
Maureen Cronin, Chief 
Division of Program Implementation
Office of Mental Retardation
Department of Public Welfare 
P.O. Box 2675
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675 
(717) 783-7213
E-mail: mcronin@state.pa.us

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Dr. Richard D. Price, Chief
Division of Early Intervention and Support Services
Bureau of Special Education
Department of Education 
333 Market Street, 7th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 
(717) 783-6882
E-mail: rprice@ed.state.pa.us
Web: www.pde.state.pa.us

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Steve Nasuti, Executive Director
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Labor and Industry 
1521 N. 6th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 787-5244
E-mail: snasuti@state.pa.us

Coordinator for Transition Services 
Dr. Ellen Romett, Director 
Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network
3190 William Pitt Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
(412) 826-2336; (800) 446-5607 in PA only
E-mail: eromett@pattan.k12.pa.us 
Web: www.pattan.k12.pa.us/

Office of State Liaison of Career and Technical Education for Students with Disabilities 
John Foster, Director
Bureau of Career and Technical Education
Division of Field Support
Department of Education
333 Market Street, 6th Floor 
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
(717) 787-8022
E-mail: jofoster@state.pa.us

State Mental Health Agency 
Joan Ernie, Deputy Secretary 
Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Department of Public Welfare
Health and Welfare Building, Room 502
P.O. Box 2675
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675 
(717) 787-6443
E-mail: jernie@state.pa.us

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth
Stanley J. Mrozowski, Ph.D., Director 
Bureau of Children's Services
Beechmont Building
P.O. Box 2675
Harrisburg, PA 17105 
(717) 772-7763
E-mail: smrozowski@state.pa.us

State Mental Retardation Program 
Kevin Casey, Deputy Secretary for Mental Retardation
Department of Public Welfare
Health and Welfare Building, Room 512
P.O. Box 2675 
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675 
(717) 787-3700
Web: www.dpw.state.pa.us

State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council 
Graham Mulholland, Executive Director
Developmental Disabilities Council 
561 Forum Building, Commonwealth Avenue 
Harrisburg, PA 17120 
(717) 787-6057
E-mail: gmulholland@dpw.state.pa.us
Web: www.paddc.org

Protection and Advocacy Agency 
Eilene Shane, Executive Director
Pennsylvania Protection and Advocacy Inc. 
1414 N. Cameron Street, Suite C
Harrisburg, PA 17103 
(717) 236-8110; (800) 692-7443 (in PA)
(717) 346-0293; (877) 375-7139 (TTY)
E-mail: ppa@ppainc.org
Web: www.ppainc.org

Client Assistance Program 
Stephen Pennington, Statewide Director 
Center for Disability Law and Policy
1617 JFK Boulevard, Suite 800
Philadelphia, PA 19103 
(215) 557-7112 (V/TTY)
E-mail: info@equalemployment.org
Web: www.equalemployment.org

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs 
Carolyn Cass, Director
Division of Child and Adult Health Services
Department of Health, 7th Floor, East Wing
P.O. Box 90 
Harrisburg, PA 17108 
(717) 772-2762
(800) 986-4550 - Special Kids Networks
E-mail: ccass@state.pa.us
Web: www.state.pa.us

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program
333 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(800) 986-5437
Web: www.ins.state.pa.us

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Pamela Shaw, Directorr
Department of Labor and Industry
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services
1521 N. 6th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 787-6176; (800) 622-2842 (in PA)
E-mail: pashaw@state.pa.us
Web: www.state.pa.us

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing 
1521 N. 6th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 783-4912 V/TTY 
(800) 233-3008 (V/TTY in PA only) 
Web: www.dli.state.pa.us

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 654-5988 (V)
(800) 654-5984 (TTY); 711 (TTY)
(800) 229-5746 (Speech to Speech - English)
(866) 260-9470 (Speech to Speech - Spanish)

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind
Julie Baumgartner
Pennsylvania Deaf-Blind Project
6340 Flank Drive, Suite 600
Harrisburg, PA 17112-2764
(717) 541-4960; (800) 360-7282 (in PA only)
Web: www.pattan.k12.pa.us

State Education Agency Rural Representative
Thomas Winters, Deputy Secretary for Administration
Department of Education
333 Market Street, 10th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126
(717) 705-0941
Web: www.pde.state.pa.us

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center 
Marian Vessels, Director
ADA and IT Information Center for the Mid Atlantic Region
451 Hungerford Drive, Suite 607
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 217-0124 (V/TT); (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: adainfo@transcen.org
Web: www.adainfo.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Diane Nelson Bryen, Director
Institute on Disabilities - UCEDD
Temple University, Ritter Annex, Room 423
1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 204-1356 (V/TTY)
E-mail: dianeb@temple.edu
Web: http://disabilities.temple.edu

James Coplan, Director
Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND)
Children's Seashore House of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
3405 Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4388
(215) 590-7466
E-mail: coplan@email.CHOP.edu

Technology-Related Assistance
Amy S. Goldman, Associate Director
Pennsylvania's Initiative on Assistive Technology
Institute on Disabilities/UCEDD
1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue
Ritter Hall Annex 423
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 204-3862 (V); (215) 204-1356 (V/TTY)
(800) 204-PIAT (V)
E-mail: piat@temple.edu
Web: http://disabilities.temple.edu

State Mediation System
Linda McKay, Coordinator
Office for Dispute Resolution
6340 Flank Drive, Suite 600
Harrisburg, PA 17112
(717) 541-4960
Web: www.pattan.k12.pa.us/isp/odr

Special Format Library
Vickie L. Collins, Librarian 
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped 
Free Library of Philadelphia 
919 Walnut Street 
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 683-3213; 800-222-1754 
E-mail: flpblind@library.phila.gov 
Web: www.library.phila.gov/lbh/lbh.htm 

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 201
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
E-mail: mail@add.org
Web: www.add.org

Autism
ABOARD (Advisory Board on Autism and Related Disorders)
35 Wilson Street, Suite 100
Pittsburgh, PA 15223
(412) 781-4116; (800) 827-9385
E-mail: info@aboard.org
Web: www.aboard.org

To identify an autism group in your state, contact:
Autism Society of America
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 657-0881; (800) 3-AUTISM
Web: www.autism-society.org

Blind/Visual Impairments
Regina Genwright, Director of Information Center
American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
(212) 502-7600; (212) 502-7662 (TTY)
E-mail: afbinfo@afb.org
Web: www.afb.org

James Antonacci, President
National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania
42 S. 15th Street, Suite 222
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 988-0888
Web: www.nfbp.org

Cerebral Palsy
Joan W. Martin, Executive Director
United Cerebral Palsy of Pennsylvania
1902 Market Street
Camp Hill, PA 17011
(717) 761-6129; (717) 761-6950 (TTY)
(866) 761-6129
E-mail: info@ucpofpa.org
Web: www.ucpofpa.org

Epilepsy
Judy Painter, Executive Director
Epilepsy Foundation Western/Central Pennsylvania
Vocational Rehabilitation Center
1323 Forbes Avenue, Suite 102
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
(412) 261-5880; (800) 361-5885
E-mail: staff@efwp.org
Web: www.efwp.org

Jeanette K. Chelius, Executive Director
Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania
919 Walnut Street, Suite 700
Philadelphia, PA 19107-5237
(215) 629-5003; (800) 887-7165 (in PA)
E-mail: efsepa@efsepa.org
Web: www.efepa.org

Learning Disabilities
Debbie Rodes, President
Learning Disabilities Association of Pennsylvania
Toomey Building
P.O. Box 208
Uwchland, PA 19480
(610) 458-8193

Mental Health
James W. Jordan, Jr., Executive Director
NAMI Pennsylvania
2149 N. Second Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
(717) 238-1514; (800) 223-0500
E-mail: namipa@nami.org
Web: http://namipa.nami.org

Glenda Fine, Director
Parents Involved Network of Pennsylvania (PIN of Pennsylvania)
1211 Chestnut Street, 11th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 751-1800; (800) 688-4226
E-mail: gfine@mhasp.org
Web: www.pinofpa.org

Mental Retardation
Stephen H. Suroviec, Executive Director
The Arc of Pennsylvania
2001 N. Front, Building 2, Suite 221
Harrisburg, PA 17102-2104
(717) 234-2621; (800) 692-7258
E-mail: ssuroviec@thearcpa.org
Web: www.thearcpa.org

Speech and Hearing
Diane Yenerall, Business Manager
Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association
800 Perry Highway, Suite 3
Pittsburgh, PA 15229-1128
(412) 366-9858
E-mail: psha@psha.org
Web: www.psha.org

Spina Bifida
Patricia Fulvio, Executive Director
Spina Bifida Association 
209 E. State St, Suite B
Quarryville, PA 17566-1242
(717) 786-9280; (888) 770-7272 (In PA)
E-mail: SBAofPA@aol.com
Web: www.geocities.com/SBAofgpa

Tourette Syndrome
Laura Umbrell, LPN, Advocacy Specialist
Pennsylvania Tourette Syndrome Association
132 W. Middle Street
Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 337-1134; (800) 990-3300 (in PA)
E-mail: laura@patsainc.org
Web: www.patourettesyndrome.org

Organizations Especially for Parents and Caregivers

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) 
Louise Thieme, Director
Parent Education Network
2107 Industrial Highway
York, PA 17402
(717) 600-0100; (800) 522-5827 (V/TTY) (In PA); 
(800) 441-5028 (Spanish)
E-mail: pen@parentednet.org
Web: www.parentednet.org

Parent-To-Parent 
Wendy Hoke-Witmer, Program Director 
Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania
6340 Flank Drive, Suite 600
Harrisburg, PA 17112-2764
(717) 540-4722; (800) 986-4550 (in PA)
E-mail: whokewitmer@parent2parent.org
Web: www.parenttoparent.org

Community Parent Resource Center 
(Serving Northwest Rural Pennsylvania)
Gail Walker, Program Director
Mentor Parent Program
P.O. Box 47 
Pittsfield, PA 16340
(814) 563-3470; (888) 447-1431 (in PA)
E-mail: gwalker@westpa.net
Web: www.mentorparent.org

(Serving American Street Empowerment Zone and providing intense training sessions to parents of children with disabilities in Philadelphia)
Luz Hernandez, Program Director
Hispanos Unidos para Ninos Excepcionales
(Philadelphia HUNE, Inc.)
Buena Vista Plaza
166 W. Lehigh Avenue, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19133-3838
(215) 425-6203
E-mail: huneinc@aol.com
Web: www.huneinc.org

Partners in Policymaking 
Kathy Miller, Program Director
Temple University
Institute on Disabilities/University Center for Excellence
Ritter Annex, Room 423
1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 204-9395
E-mail: millerk@temple.edu

Parent Teacher Association (PTA) 
Carol Ritter, President
Pennsylvania Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc.
4804 Derry Street
Harrisburg, PA 17111
(717) 564-8985
E-mail: info@papta.org
Web: www.papta.org
 

Other Disability Organizations

Debra L. Noel, Executive Director
Easter Seals South Central Pennyslvania
2201 S. Queen Street
York, PA 17402
(717) 741-3891; (888) 273-7251
E-mail: DNoel3@aol.com
Web: www.visiteasterseals.org

Carl G. Webster, Executive Director/CEO
Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania
3975 Conshohocken Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19131
(215) 879-1000
E-mail: cwebster@easterseals-sepa.org
Web: www.easterseals-sepa.org

Larry Rager, President
Easter Seal Society of Western Pennsylvania
632 Fort Duquesne Boulevard
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412) 281-7244
(800) 587-3257
E-mail: lmeinert@pa-ws.easter-seals.org

MENTOR ABI Group - New Jersey
Rehabilitative and Support Services for Persons with Acquired Brain Injury
505 S. Lenola Road
Blason Office Plaza II, Suite 217
Moorestown, NJ 08057
(856) 235-5505
Web: http://nj.thementornetwork.com/state/index.asp

Ann Kramer, Executive Director
Neurofibromatosis Clinics Association
P.O. Box 14185
Pittsburgh, PA 15239
(412) 795-3029
E-mail: NFPittsburgh@aol.com
Web: http://trfn.clpgh.org/nfca

Sue Scott Dolan, Director
Pennsylvania Parents and Caregivers Resource Network
P.O. Box 4336
Harrisburg, PA 17111-0336
(717) 561-0098; (888) 572-7368 (in PA)
E-mail: ppcrn@ppcrn.org
Web: www.ppcrn.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

Did You Know
That supporting the grandparent caregivers costs only third the money that goes to supporting a child in foster care.

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