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 
H. Douglas Cox, Assistant Superintendent
Division of Special Education and Student Services
Department of Education
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, VA 23218-2120
(804) 225-3252; (800) 292-3820
E-mail: dougcox@mail.vak12ed.edu
Web: www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/sess

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Dr. Patricia I. Wright, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction
Department of Education
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, VA 23218-2120
(804) 225-2979
E-mail: pwright@pen.k12.va.us
Web: www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 3 
Shirley Ricks, Manager
Office of Mental Retardation Services
Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services
P.O. Box 1797 
Richmond, VA 23218
(804) 786-0992
(800) 234-1448 (Central Directory for Early Intervention Services)
E-mail: sricks@dmhmrsas.state.va.us
Web: www.infantva.org

Mary Ann Discenza, Part C Coordinator
Office of Mental Retardation Services
Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services
P.O. Box 1797
Richmond, VA 23218
(804) 371-6592
E-mail: mdiscenza@dmhmrsas.state.va.us
Web: www.infantva.org

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 2 through 5 
Phyllis Mondak
Division of Special Education and Instructional Services
Department of Education 
P.O. Box 2120 
Richmond, VA 23218-2120 
(804) 225-2675; (800) 292-3820
E-mail: pmondak@mail.vak12ed.edu
Web: www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/sess

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
James A. Rothrock, Commissioner 
Erica A. Lovelace, Education Services Manager
Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services
8004 Franklin Farms Drive
P. O. Box K300
Richmond, VA 23288-0300
(804) 662-7000; (804) 662-7081
(800) 552-5019; (800) 464-9950 (TTY)
E-mail: drs@drs.state.va.us
E-mail: lovelaea@drs.state.va.us
Web: www.vadrs.org

Office of State Coordinator of Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities 
James Gray, Associate Director
Office of Career and Technical Education Services
Department of Education 
P.O. Box 2120 
Richmond, VA 23218-2120 
(804) 225-2051
E-mail: jimgray@pen.k12.va.us
Web: www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/CTE

Robert Almond, Director
Office of Career and Technical Education Services
Department of Education
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, VA 23218-2120
(804) 225-2847
E-mail: ralmond@pen.k12.va.us
Web: www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/CTE/

State Mental Health Agency 
James Reinhard, M.D., Commissioner
Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services
P.O. Box 1797 
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 786-3921
E-mail: jreinhard@dmhmrsas.state.va.us
Web: www.dmhmrsas.state.va.us

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth 
Pamela Fitzgerald Cooper, Director
Child and Adolescent Services
Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services 
P.O. Box 1797 
Richmond, VA 23218-1797 
(804) 371-2183
E-mail: pcooper@dmhmrsas.state.va.us
Web: www.dmhmrsas.state.va.us

State Health Department: Child and Adolescent Health 
Joanne S. Boise, Director
Division of Child and Adolescent Health
Virginia Department of Health
109 Governor Street, Eighth Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 864-7688
E-mail: joanne.boise@vdh.virginia.gov
Web: www.vahealth.org/childadolescenthealth/index.htm

State Mental Retardation Program 
Frank L. Tetrick, III, Associate Commissioner 
Office of Mental Retardation Services
Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services
P.O. Box 1797 
Richmond, VA 23219 
(804) 786-1746
E-mail: FTetrick@dmhmrsas.state.va.us
Web: www.dmhmrsas.state.va.us

State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council 
Heidi Lawyer, Director 
Virginia Board for People with Disabilities
Ninth Street Office Building
202 N. Ninth Street, 9th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 786-0016 (V/TTY); (800) 846-4464 (In VA)
Web: www.vaboard.org

Protection and Advocacy Agency 
V. Colleen Miller, Director
Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy (VOPA)
1910 Byrd Avenue, Suite 5
Richmond, VA 23230 
(804) 225-2042 (V/TTY); (800) 552-3962 (In VA) 
Web: www.vopa.state.va.us/

Client Assistance Program 
Contact Protection and Advocacy Agency listed above

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Nancy Bullock, R.N., M.P.H., Director
Children with Special Health Care Needs Program
Division of Child and Adolescent Health
Virginia Department of Health 
109 Governor Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 864-7685
E-mail: nancy.bullock@vdh.virginia.gov
Web: www.vahealth.org/specialchildren/index.htm

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
FAMIS
P.O. Box 1820
Richmond, VA 23218-1820
(866) 873-2647
Web: www.famis.org

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired or Deaf-Blind 
Joseph A. Bowman, Commissioner
Glen R. Slonneger, Director, Education Services
Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired
397 Azalea Avenue 
Richmond, VA 23227-3600
(804) 371-3140
E-mail: slonnegr@dbvi.state.va.us
Web: www.vdbvi.org

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Ronald L. Lanier, Director
Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Ratcliffe Building, Suite 203
1602 Rolling Hills Drive
Richmond, VA 23229-5012
(804) 662-9502 (V/TTY); (800) 552-7917 (V/TTY)
E-mail: DDHHInfo@ddhh.state.va.us
Web: www.vddhh.org

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 828-1140 (V)
(800) 828-1120 (TTY); 711 (TTY)
(800) 229-5746 (Speech to Speech - English)
(866) 260-9470 (Speech to Speech - Spanish)

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

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Dr. Fred P. Orelove, Executive Director 
Partnership for People with Disabilities 
Virginia Commonwealth University 
700 E. Franklin Street, 10th Floor
P.O. Box 843020 
Richmond, VA 23284-3020 
(804) 828-3876 (V/TTY); (800) 828-1120
E-mail: forelove@mail1.vcu.edu
Web: www.vcu.edu/partnership

Technology-Related Assistance 
Kenneth Knorr, Project Director
Virginia Assistive Technology System
8004 Franklin Farms Drive
P.O. Box K300
Richmond, VA 23288-0300
(804) 662-9990; (800) 552-5019 (in VA only)
E-mail: knorrkh@drs.state.va.us
Web: www.vats.org

State Mediation System 
Arthur Stewart, Coordinator
Mediation
Virginia Department of Education
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, VA 23218-2120
(804) 786-0711
E-mail: astewart@mail.vak12ed.edu
Web: www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/sess

Special Format Library
Barbara McCarthy, Director
Virginia Library and Resource Center 
Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired
395 Azalea Avenue 
Richmond, VA 23227-3633 
(804) 371-3661 (V/TTY); (800) 552-7015 (V/TTY)
E-mail: mccartbn@dvh.state.va.us
Web: www.vdbvi.org/lrc.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 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
John Toscano, Executive Director
Commonwealth Autism Service
2201 W. Broad Street, Suite 107
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 355-0300; (800) 649-8481
E-mail: information@autismva.org 
Web: www.autismva.org

Carol Schall, Executive Director
Virginia Autism Resource Center
P.O. Box 2500
Winchester, VA 22604
1-877-667-7771; (540) 542-1723
E-mail: info@varc.org 
Web: www.varc.org

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
Harry Weinstock, Executive Director
Brain Injury Association of Virginia
3212 Cutshaw Avenue, Suite 315
Richmond, VA 23230
(804) 355-5748; (800) 334-8443 (in VA)
E-mail: info@biav.net
Web: www.biav.net 

Cerebral Palsy
(Serving Commonwealth of Virginia) 
Kathy Prendergast, Executive Director
Cerebral Palsy of Virginia
5825 Arrowhead Drive, Suite 201
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
(757) 497-7474
E-mail: cerebralpalsy@cerebralpalsyofvirginia.org
Web: www.cerebralpalsyofvirginia.org/

Deafness/Hard of Hearing
Bennie Lacks, President
Virginia Association of the Deaf
2521 Malden Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23518
(757) 587-9555; (757) 587-9729 (Video phone)
E-mail: lacksb@cox.net
Web: www.vad.org

Epilepsy 
Suzanne Bischoff, Executive Director
Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia
UVA Medical Center
P.O. Box 800659
Charlottesville, VA 22908 
(434) 924-8669 (Charlottesville); (804) 796-9935 (Richmond)
(757) 478-0983 (Tidewater); (800) 332-1000 (National Answer Place line)
E-mail: epi@avenue.org
Web: www.efva.org

Robin Lincoln, Education Coordinator
Epilepsy Foundation of the Chesapeake Region
107 S. West Street, PMB #141
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 862-7549
E-mail: rlincoln@epilepsy-foundation.org
Web: www.epilepsy-foundation.org

Learning Disabilities 
Anna Marie Johnson, President
Learning Disabilities Association of Virginia
4324 Fordham Road
Richmond, VA 23236
(804) 745-9325
E-mail: info@ldavirginia.org
Web: www.ldavirginia.org

Mental Health
Vickie Fisher, Executive Director
Mental Health Association of Virginia 
530 E. Main Street, Suite 707
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 225-5591
E-mail: mhav@mhav.org
Web: www.mhav.org

Valerie Marsh, Executive Director
NAMI Virginia
P.O. Box 1903
Richmond, VA 23218-1903
(804) 225-8264; (888) 486-8264
E-mail: vaami@aol.com
Web: www.namivirginia.org

Joyce Kube, Executive Director
Parents and Children Coping Together
P.O. Box 26691
Richmond, VA 23261-6691
(804) 559-6833; (800) 477-0946 (in VA)
E-mail: pacct@infi.net
Web: www.pacct.org/

Mental Retardation 
Teja Stokes, Executive Director 
The Arc of Virginia 
2025 E. Main Street, Suite 120
Richmond, VA 23223
(804) 649-8481; (888) 604-2677
E-mail: tstokes@arcofva.org
Web: www.arcofva.org

Speech and Hearing 
Mary Jo Grote, President
Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia, Inc. 
P.O. Box 76
Basye, VA 22810
(540) 856-2111; (800) 487-4637
E-mail: gnmm@lbjlimited.com
Web: www.shav.org

Tourette Syndrome
Lyn Mox, Executive Director
Tourette Syndrome Association of Greater Washington
33 University Boulevard East
Silver Spring, MD 20901-2485
(301) 681-4133; (877) 295-2148
E-mail: TSAGW@aol.com
Web: www.TSAGW.org

Organizations Especially for Parents and Caregivers

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) 
Cherie Takemoto, Executive Director 
Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) 
6320 Augusta Drive, Suite 1200
Springfield, VA 22150
(703) 923-0010; (800) 869-6782 (in VA)
(804) 819-1999 (Richmond)
(703) 569-6200 (en Español)
E-mail: partners@peatc.org
Web: www.peatc.org/

Community Parent Resource Center
(Serving the Hampton Roads and Tidewater Area) 
Mark Jacob, Executive Director
PADDA Community Parent Resource Center
813 Forrest Drive, Suite 3
Newport News, VA 23606
(888) 337-2332; (757) 591-9119
E-mail: hmathews@padda.org
Web: www.padda.org

Parent Resource Center 
Judy Hudgins, Specialist
Sandra Peterson, Specialist
Division of Special Education and Student Services
Virginia Department of Education
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, VA 23218-2120
(800) 422-2083; (804) 371-7420/7421
E-mail: jhudgins@mail.vak12ed.edu
E-mail: speterso@mail.vak12ed.edu
Web: www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/sess

Parent-To-Parent 
Dana Yarbrough, Executive Director
Parent to Parent of Virginia
P.O. Box 38341
Richmond, VA 23231
(804) 222-1945
E-mail: PTPofVA@aol.com

Parent Teacher Association (PTA) 
Ramona Morrow, President
Virginia PTA
1027 Wilmer Avenue
Richmond, VA 23227
(804) 264-1234
E-mail: info@vapta.org
Web: www.vapta.org

Other Parent Organization
Wanda Pruett, Manager
The Arc of Virginia Family Involvement Project
The Arc of Virginia
2025 E. Main Street, Suite 120
Richmond, VA 23223
(804) 649-8481; (888) 604-2677
E-mail: wpruett@arcfip.org
Web: www.arcfip.org

Other Disability Organizations

Melissa Hays-Smith, President 
Easter Seals Virginia 
201 E. Main Street
Salem, VA 24153 
(540) 777-7325; (800) 365-1656 (in VA)
E-mail: info@va.easter-seals.org
Web: www.va.easterseals.com

Nancy M. Gray, Executive Director
VSA arts of Virginia
P.O. Box 27862
Richmond, VA 23261
(804) 358-4991
E-mail: vsavngray@comcast.net
Web: www.vsarts.org/affiliates/states/va.cfm

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