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.

Governor's Commission on Disabilities 
Bob Cooper, Executive Secretary
Governor’s Commission on Disabilities
John O. Pastore Center
41 Cherry Dale Court
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 462-0100; (401) 462-0101 (TTY)
E-mail: disabilities@gcd.state.ri.us
Web: www.gcd.state.ri.us/

State Department of Education: Special Education 
Thomas DiPaola, Ph.D., Director
Office of Special Needs 
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Room 400, Shepard Building 
Providence, RI 02903-3400 
(401) 222-3505
Web: www.ridoe.net

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Thomas DiPaola, Ph.D., Director 
Office of Special Needs 
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Room 400, Shepard Building 
Providence, RI 02903-3400 
(401) 222-3505 
Web: www.ridoe.net

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2 
David Hamel, Chief
Early Intervention
Rhode Island Department of Health
3 Capital Hill, Room 302
Providence, RI 02908-5097
(401) 222-4632
E-mail: daveh@doh.state.ri.us
Web: www.healthri.org

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Amy B. Cohen, Preschool Grant Coordinator 
Office of Special Populations
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Shepard Building
Providence, RI 02903-3414 
(401) 222-4600, ext. 2408 
E-mail: abcohen@ride.ri.net
Web: www.ridoe.net

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Raymond A. Carroll, Administrator 
Office of Rehabilitation Services
Department of Human Services 
40 Fountain Street 
Providence, RI 02903 
(401) 421-7005, Ext. 301; (401) 421-7016 (TTY) 
E-mail: rcarroll@ors.ri.gov
Web: www.ors.ri.gov

Coordinator for Transition Services 
J. David Sienko, Project Coordinator 
Rhode Island Transition 
Independence Employment 
UCE/ Rhode Island College 
255 Westminister Street, Shepard Building 
Providence, RI 02903 3400 
(401) 222-4600, Ext. 2216 
E-mail: rid03249@ride.ri.net
Web: www.ridoe.net/special_needs/transition.htm

State Department of Education: Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities 
J. David Sienko, Educational Specialist/Secondary Transition
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Shepard Building
Providence, RI 02903-3400
(401) 222-4600, Ext. 2216
E-mail: rid03249@ride.ri.net
Web: www.ridoe.net

State Mental Health Agency 
Jane Hayward, Director
Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals
14 Harrington Road
Cranston, RI 02920 
(401) 462-3201
Web: www.mhrh.state.ri.us

State Mental Health Agency for Children and Youth
Janet L. Anderson, Ed.D., Assistant Director
Division of Children's Behavioral Health
Department of Children, Youth and Families
101 Friendship Street
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 528-3756
E-mail: AndersJ@dcyf.state.ri.us
Web: www.dcyf.state.ri.us

State Mental Retardation Program
Lynda Kahn, Executive Director 
Division of Developmental Disabilities
Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals
14 Harrington Road, Barry Hall
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 462-3234
E-mail: lkahn@mhrh.ri.gov

Councils on Developmental Disabilities 
Marie Citrone, Executive Director
Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council 
400 Bald Hill Road, Suite 515
Warwick, RI 02886
(401) 737-1238
E-mail: riddc@riddc.org
Web: www.riddc.org

Protection and Advocacy Agency 
Raymond L Bandusky, Executive Director
Rhode Island Disability Law Center
349 Eddy Street
Providence, RI 02903 
(401) 831-3150; (401) 831-5335 (TTY)
(800) 733-5332 (in RI)
E-mail: rbandusky@ridlc.org

Client Assistance Program
Contact Protection and Advocacy Program, listed above. 

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Deborah Garneau, Chief
Office for Families Raising Children with Special Health Care Needs
Rhode Island Department of Health 
3 Capitol Hill, Room 302 
Providence, RI 02908-5097 
(401) 222-5929; (401) 222-2312
E-mail: debg@doh.state.ri.us
Web: www.health.state.ri.us

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
RIte Care 
(401) 462-5300(V); (401) 462- 3363 (TTY)
(401) 462-1500 (Spanish)
Web: www.dhs.state.ri.us/dhs/famchild/shcare.htm

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Gary Wier, Deputy Administrator 
Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Department of Human Services 
40 Fountain Street
Providence, RI 02903 
(401) 222-2300
(401) 272-8090 (Hispanic telephone line)
Web: www.ors.ri.gov

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing or Deaf-Blind 
Steven A. Florio, Executive Director
Rhode Island Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
One Capitol Hill, Ground Level
Providence, RI 02908-5850
(401) 222-1204 (V); (401) 222-1205 (TTY)
E-mail: cdhh@cdhh.ri.gov

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 745-6575 (V)
(800) 745-5555 (TTY); 711 (TTY)
(800) 745-1570 (ASCII)
(866) 355-9213 (Speech to Speech)
(866) 355-9214 (Spanish)

State Education Agency Rural Representative 
Thomas DiPaola, Ph.D., Director 
Office of Special Needs 
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Room 400, Shepard Building 
Providence, RI 02903-3400 
(401) 222-3505
Web: www.ridoe.net

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center 
Valerie Fletcher, Executive Director
Oce Harrison, Project Director
New England ADA and Accessible IT Center
Adaptive Environments Center, Inc.
374 Congress Street, Suite 301
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 695-0085 (V/TTY); (800) 949-4232 V/TTY)
E-mail: adaptive@adaptenv.org
Web: www.adaptenv.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
A. Anthony Antosh, Director
The Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities
Rhode Island College
600 Mount Pleasant Avenue
Providence, RI 02908
(401) 456-8072; (401) 456-8773 (TTY)
E-mail: aantosh@ric.edu
Web: www.ric.edu/uap

Technology-Related Assistance
Regina Connor, Project Director
Rhode Island Assistive Technology Access Partnership
Office of Rehabilitation Services
40 Fountain Street
Providence, RI 02903-1898
(401) 421-7005 Ext. 390; (401) 421-7016 (TTY)
(800) 752-8088, Ext. 2608 (in RI)
E-mail: reginac@ors.ri.gov
Web: www.atap.ri.gov

State Mediation System 
Susan Wood, Ph.D.
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Shephard Building
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-4600, ext. 2309
E-mail:rid00870@ride.ri.net
Web: www.ridoe.net/Special_needs/dispute

Special Format Library
Andrew Egan, Librarian
Talking Books Plus 
Office of Library and Information Services 
One Capitol Hill 
Providence, RI 02908 
(401) 222-5800; (800) 745-6575
(800) 745-5555 (TTY)
E-mail: tbplus@lori.state.ri.us
Web: www.lori.state.ri.us/TBP/

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
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.net
Web: www.afb.org

Richard Gaffney, President
National Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island
33 Circuit Drive
Riverside, RI 02915
(401) 437-0253
E-mail: rcgaff@cox.net

Brain Injury
Sharon Brinkworth, Executive Director
Brain Injury Association of Rhode Island
935 Park Avenue, Suite 8
Cranston, RI 02910
(401) 461-6599; (888) 824-8911
E-mail: braininjuryctr@biaofri.org
Web: www.biausa.org

Cerebal Palsy 
Dr. Lowell Roberts, Executive Director 
United Cerebral Palsy of Rhode Island
200 Main Street, Suite 210
P.O. Box 36
Pawtucket, RI 02862
(401) 728-1800
E-mail: all@ucpri.org
Web: www.ucpri.org

Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome Society of Rhode Island, Inc
99 Bald Hill Road
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 463-5751; (800) 745-5555 (TDD for RI Relay)
E-mail: coordinator@dssri.org
Web: www.dssri.org

Epilepsy 
Les Brody, Chief Executive Officer
Epilepsy Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island
540 Gallivant Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02124
(617) 506-6041; (888) 576-9996
Web: www.efmri.org

Learning Disabilities 
Linda DiCecco, President
Learning Disabilities Association of Rhode Island
P.O. Box 8128
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 946-6968
E-mail: lindixx@email.com
Web: www.ldaamerica.org

Mental Health 
Cynthia A. Barry, Executive Director
Mental Health Association of Rhode Island 
500 Prospect Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860 
(401) 726-2285 
E-mail: mhari@mhari.org
Web: www.mhari.org

Cathy Ciano, Executive Director
Parent Support Network of Rhode Island
400 Warwick Avenue, Suite 12
Warwick, RI 02888
(401) 467-6855; (800) 483-8844 (in RI)
E-mail: cathyciano@aol.com
Web: www.psnri.org

Nicki Sahlin, Ph.D., Executive Director
Donna Howard, Assistant Director
NAMI Rhode Island
1255 N. Main Street
Providence, RI 02904
(401) 331-3060; (800) 749-3197
E-mail: nicki@namiri.org
E-mail: donna@namiri.org
Web: www.namiri.org

Mental Retardation 
James Healey, Executive Director 
Rhode Island Arc
99 Bald Hill Road 
Cranston, RI 02920 
(401) 463-9191
E-mail: riarc@compuserve.com

Special Health Care Needs
Dawn Wardyga, Program Director
Family Voices of the Rhode Island Parent Information Network
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 727-4144 ext. 158; (800) 464-3399 ext. 158 (in RI)
E-mail: familyvoices@ripin.org
Web: http://ripin.org/

Speech and Hearing 
Sheryl C. Amaral, President 
Rhode Island Speech-Language-Hearing Association 
P.O. Box 9241 
Providence, RI 02940 
(401) 455-7472
Web: www.risha.info

Spina Bifida 
Cindy Ponte, President
Spina Bifida Association of Rhode Island 
P.O. Box 6948
Warwick, RI 02887
(401) 943-5909
E-mail: sbaofrhodeisland@yahoo.com
Web: www.sbaofrhodeisland.org
Web: www.spinabifida.org

Organizations Especially for Parents and Caregivers

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) 
Cheryl Collins, Program Director
Rhode Island Parent Info Network (RIPIN)
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 727-4144, ext. 152; (800) 464-3399 (In RI)
E-mail: collins@ripin.org
Web: www.ripin.org

Parent-To-Parent 
Cindy Montero
Family to Family of Rhode Island
Family Voices at the Rhode Island Parent Information Network
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 727-4144, ext. 141; (800) 401-3399 (in RI)
Email: montero@ripin.org
Web: www.rifamilytofamily.net

Parent Teacher Association (PTA) 
Mary Anne Roll, President
Rhode Island Congress of Parents and Teachers
RIC East Campus-Building 6
600 Mount Pleasant Avenue
Providence, RI 02908
(401) 272-6405
E-mail: ri_office@pta.org

Other Disability Organizations

Advocates in Action
P.O. Box 41528
Providence, RI 02940-1528
(401) 785-2028; (800) 745-5555 (TTY, via RI relay)
E-mail: aina@aina-ri.org
Web: www.aina-ri.org

Exeter/West Greenwich Individuals Needs Advisory Committee
c/o Special Services Office
930 Nooseneck Hill Road
West Greenwich, RI 02817
E-mail: EWGINAC@att.net
Web: http://EWGINAC.home.att.net

Jeannine Chartier, Executive Director
VSA arts of Rhode Island
500 Prospect Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 725-0247; (800) 745-5555 (TTY/Relay)
E-mail: ri@vsarts.org
Web: www.vsarts.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