What’s Out There, & How to Get It
by Matilda Raffa Cuomo and Karen T. Schlesinger

When school starts in September, parents and children focus on the beginning of a new year: new classes, new teachers, new classmates, new friends, new school outfits, sometimes a new school. Hope is in the air, and the possibilities seem boundless.

Parents of children with disabilities and other special needs—learning, developmental, emotional, physical, sensory, and medical—anticipate the school year just like other parents do. But at the same time, they prepare differently.

Parents of children with special needs participate in meetings with their child’s school and committee on special education to develop the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for their child for the coming year. When developing educational strategies and expectations for the IEP, parents need to ask themselves and the school many questions about their child’s progress thus far and expectations for the coming year. Parents also must determine how they can follow their child’s progress through the year, and what to do if their child’s IEP is not being met.

Their questions go beyond the classroom. Many parents work, and child care is a concern for all. For parents of children with disabilities, arranging child care and after school activities is often a complicated problem.

When parents of children with disabilities have questions about school, after school programs, camps and summer programs, child care, health and medical services, the transition from school to work, family support services, or the laws, rights and entitlements that affect them and their children, there are places to go for information and help. Among them is Resources for Children with Special Needs.

Resources for Children with Special Needs (RCSN) works directly with parents of children with disabilities and professionals to locate and obtain programs and services of all kinds. This New York City-wide not-for-profit organization provides individual information and referral, educational advocacy, support, and guidance. An annual free training series of 34 workshops held all over the city informs parents about IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and the rights of children and parents under IDEA, and introduces them to the world of available community resources.

RCSN is part of a national network of Parent Training and Information Centers funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education, and is also designated as a New York City Parent Center by the New York State Education Department. As such, RCSN works with a wide variety of organizations committed to insuring a free and appropriate education for children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, the fundamental principal of IDEA.

RCSN also publishes directories that list all types of after-school programs and services. One such program, which can make a great impact on the life of special needs children, is Mentoring USA, another not-for-profit in New York City. Mentoring USA is an effective, early-intervention mentoring program to prevent school dropout. The largest site based one-to-one mentoring program in New York City, Mentoring USA operates at 50 sites throughout the five boroughs, and fully trains all mentors to develop with their mentees relationships that provide both personal and academic support. By providing mentors to at-risk youth, ESL students and foster care children, Mentoring USA helps improve their self-esteem, broaden their vision of opportunities, and succeed in school.#

For more information on RCSN visit www.resourcesnyc.org, or call (212) 677-4650.

For more information on Mentoring USA, visit www.mentoringusa.org, or call (212) 253 1194.

Matilda Raffa Cuomo is the Founder and Chair of Mentoring USA, Board of Directors, RCSN.

Karen T. Schlesinger is the Executive Director, Resources for Children with Special Needs, Inc.

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