Intellectual Disabilities Information and Resources for Pennsylvania

Intellectual Disabilities Customer Service Line

Toll Free Number For General Information and Concerns:  1-888-565-9435

And

Toll Free TTY Number (Telephone for Hearing Impaired ONLY):  1-866-388-1114
A Customer Service team member will answer calls during normal business hours, which are 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. While a Customer Service Team member is assisting a caller, other calls will be routed to voicemail and those calls will be returned as quickly as possible. Please be advised that the TTY Customer Service Number does not have voicemail.

Callers after these hours, or on holidays, may leave a confidential message on voicemail. Please clearly state your name, telephone number with area code, and the best time during business hours to reach you. You may also include detailed information regarding your question or concern.

General questions will be answered by the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) customer service team, but questions relating to specific situations will be referred to the appropriate ODP regional office or subject matter expert. When a call is referred to the regional office, the caller will be contacted by the end of the next business day to obtain additional follow-up information. 
 

HCSIS Services and Supports Directory

 

The Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council is a group made up of people with disabilities, family members, advocates, and state department representatives who work to create favorable conditions for people with developmental disabilities and their families in the Commonwealth. Created under a federal act and Governor’s Executive Order, the Council is both a planning group and a funding body.

 

The Office of Developmental Programs supports the Office of Developmental Programs in providing consistent statewide training. This office also provides local training and technical assistance to county MH/ID agencies to meet the needs of individuals and families who receive supports and services through their local intellectual disability office. The Office of Developmental Program Consulting System also provides training and technical assistance that focuses on the practice of person-centered support for individuals and families. Training and technical assistance efforts adhere to the principles of Everyday Lives

 

The Pennsylvania Training Partnership for People with Disabilities and Families was formed to provide coordinated, consistent training and technical assistance across the state to people with disabilities and their families. The state centers offer training each month. Check this website for a list of courses.

 

The National Academies Press (NAP) was created by the National Academies of Science. The National Academies strive to apply the knowledge, analytical tools, and methods of the behavioral and social sciences to some of the nation's most pressing issues. NAP publishes books and reports issued by the Academies and the National Research Council on a range of health matters, such as epilepsy, ADHD, autism. Hundreds of these books and reports can be downloaded for free, on the Web. For example, read the full text of the report "Educating Children with Autism" for free on the web.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the nation’s premier public health agency. The CDC is one of the major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services. Their mission is to collaborate to create the expertise, information, and tools that people and communities need to protect their health. Their website offers reliable information on a number of medical conditions in English, Spanish and other languages.

 

The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) coordinates national resources, offers technical assistance, and disseminates information related to secondary education and transition for youth with disabilities in order to create opportunities for youth to achieve successful futures.

 

ACHIEVA, formerly Arc Allegheny, is western Pennsylvania's largest provider of comprehensive services and supports for children and adults with disabilities and their families.

 

The Institute on Disabilities in partnership with people with disabilities, families and allies from diverse cultures, work to change systems so that people can live, learn, work and play in the communities of their choice. The Institute on Disabilities is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities in their pursuit of interdependence, contribution, and inclusion. This mission is accomplished through training, technical assistance, services and supports, research, dissemination, and advocacy.

 

The Mentors for Self Determination is based upon the Core Values of an Everyday Life: choice, control, quality, stability, safety, individual relationships, freedom, and success opportunities to contribute to the community, accountability, communication, mentoring and collaboration in your life.

 

The Vision for Equality is a unique organization born out of a collective desire for systems change. We interface daily with the service system to set a presence in people’s lives and to bring the perspective of the "customer" and their family to the forefront. We define our roles as advocates and monitors promoting quality and equality in the system and one community for all.

 

The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) is designed to promote the interest of professional and parental development with resources for individuals who have the co-existence of mental illness and intellectual disabilities.

 

The Arc is the national organization of and for people with mental retardation and related disabilities and their families.

 

The Arc Pennsylvania is the local chapter of the Arc national organization on mental retardation and related disabilities and their families.

 

Pennsylvania Early Intervention Technical Assistance provides training and technical assistance to MH/ID early intervention programs (birth to age three) and MAWA (Mutually Agreed upon Written Arrangement) agency early intervention programs (age three to age of beginners) in support of family-centered practices and supporting children in their natural environments.

 

Mental Health and Developmental Positive Practices Resource Team:  The Positive Practice Resource Team is a joint initiative between the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) to assist individuals with a dual diagnosis of Mental Health and Intellectual Disability. The purpose of the PPRT is to identify and develop system capacity and resources that will be dedicated to addressing issues pertaining to a person's behavioral support needs.

 

TASH is an international advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Read legislative news or find a local chapter.

 

My Child at Cerebral Palsy - to increase one's own self-sufficiency and independence.

 

NPPSIS is the National Parent to Parent Organization that is a volunteer organization that connects parents of children with special health care needs and rare disorders.

 

The primary purpose of QualityMall.org is to collect and disseminate information related to or useful in promoting quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities. It is not a retailer or vendor of products or services but uses the theme of a shopping mall to help connect visitors to the best products and services available. People involved with, experienced with, or simply aware of such services are invited to visit QualityMall.org, shop the many "stores," and make recommendations for new products and services.

 

The State of the States in Developmental Disabilities is a research project administered by the University of Colorado. The project, authorized by the Federal Government's Developmental Disabilities Act as amended, is funded as a Project of National Significance by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities in the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1982 to investigate the determinants of public spending for intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities (ID/DD) services in the United States, the project maintains a 24-year longitudinal record of revenue, spending, and programmatic trends in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States as a whole.

 

Self-Determination Housing Project of Pennsylvania, Inc. The goal of the project is to build upon recent national and state efforts to increase the stock of affordable, accessible and integrated housing. By bringing together individuals committed to this goal, the project is expanding access to public and private housing programs and self-determination in housing for persons with developmental disabilities.

 

The Older Adults Protective Services Act (OAPSA Act 79-1987) requires employees and administrators of community providers to submit a criminal background check for employment and report the suspected abuse of any person who is receiving care from the agency regardless of age. The PA Dept. of Aging is providing on-line, self-study training for mandatory abuse reporting and criminal background checks.