Resources Referenced in This Report

ARC of WV provides programs and services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Disability Rights of West Virginia is the federally mandated protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities in West Virginia. It is a private, nonprofit agency. Their services are confidential and free of charge.

The mission of the Down Syndrome Network of West Virginia (DSNWV) is to enhance the lives of individuals with Down syndrome by providing information, resources, and support to families and professionals and by promoting awareness and acceptance of individuals with Down syndrome.

The Exceptional Families of WV is a FB group of caretakers who care for an individual with multiple medical and/or developmental delays. Since they have limited resources for support, they are here for each other to provide an extended support network of caretakers with common needs for their children/relatives/ dependents in WV. Their goal is for caretakers not to feel so alone in this big world of special needs.

The FAST Program (Family Advocacy, Support, and Training) is a statewide parent and youth network that engages families in the planning, management, and evaluation of their child’s mental health treatment and service needs, including special educational requirements. FAST has five regional advocates, an attorney, and a statewide resource specialist and serves all 55 West Virginia counties.

Healthy Grandfamilies is a free initiative led by West Virginia State University to provide information and resources to grandparents raising one or more grandchildren. Designed as a series of nine discussion sessions and follow-up services, Healthy Grandfamilies is taught by volunteer professionals and paraprofessionals knowledgeable about each topic.

The Jeremiah Tree Foundation is a West Virginia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit created to build a community-centered space for everyone to feel accepted, included, and supported regardless of diagnosis or prognosis.

WV Birth to Three is a statewide system of services and supports for children under the age of three who have a delay in their development or may be at risk of having a delay and their family. The Department of Health and Human Resources, through the Bureau for Public Health and the Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health, WV Birth to Three, as the lead agency for Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), assures that family-centered, community-based services are available to all eligible children and families at no cost.

The West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University provides services to families of West Virginians with autism spectrum disorder and their educators and others significant in their lives.

The WV Developmental Disabilities Council’s mission is to assure that West Virginia citizens with developmental disabilities receive the services, supports, and other forms of assistance they need to exercise self-determination and achieve independence, productivity, integration, and inclusion in the community.

The WV Center for Excellence in Disabilities leads efforts to provide better services to West Virginians with disabilities through training, research, and services.

The mission of the WV Statewide Independent Living Council is one of consumer control, peer support, self-help, self-determination, equal access, and individual and systems advocacy in order to maximize the leadership, empowerment, independence, and productivity of individuals with disabilities, and the integration and full inclusion of individuals with disabilities into the mainstream of society.