ARKANSAS  COMMUNICATION  BOARD

The Access Center was a national technical assistance center funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) within the Department of Education. The purpose of the Access Center was to improve access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities at the elementary and middle school levels. Drawing from national legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act and IDEA ’97, the Center was designed to connect states and districts with research-based practices, tools, and materials that could help students with disabilities access the general education curriculum. The Center also helped decision-makers use data to improve instruction and services for students with disabilities. This was accomplished through a variety of technical assistance strategies, including direct consultation and web-based services.

Regretfully, since funding for ongoing hosting and maintenance has ended, the Center’s website is no longer available. For questions concerning resources from the K-8 Access Center, please contact medmiston@air.org or call (202) 403-5000.

The Alliance for Excellent Education is a national policy and advocacy organization that works to make every child a high school graduate-to prepare them for college, work, and to be contributing members of society.

Since 1876, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) has been providing worldwide leadership in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. We're a powerful community of leaders with a strong voice and important mission.  AAIDD, (formerly AAMR -- American Association on Mental Retardation) is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization of professionals and citizens concerned about intellectual and developmental disabilities.  We're tireless promoters of progressive policies, sound research, effective practices and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a national research society founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.

APA aspires to excel as a valuable, effective and influential organization advancing psychology as a science. The core values that guide our mission include pursuit of excellence, knowledge, diversity and ethical action.  Our strategic plan goals are to maximize the association's organizational effectiveness, expand psychology's role in advancing health and increase recognition of psychology as a science.

Convention - convention@asha.org

CE Registry - continuinged@asha.org

Action Center - actioncenter@asha.org

Audiology - audiology@asha.org

SLP Clinical Issues - slpinfo@asha.org

SLP Health Services - healthservices@asha.org

SLP School Services - schools@asha.org

The Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) is a not-for-profit membership organization of manufacturers, sellers and providers of technology-based assistive devices and/or services. ATIA represents the interests of its members to business, government, education, and the many agencies that serve people with disabilities. Its mission is to serve as the collective voice of the Assistive Technology industry so that the best products and services are delivered to people with disabilities.

Advancing Literacy, a relatively new subprogram of the Education Division, was created in 2003, after an extensive review that the way in which students are taught to read comprehend and write about subject matter has not kept pace with the demands of schooling. Advancing Literacy is dedicated to the task of advancing literacy by affecting policy, practice and research.

Improving communication through better understanding of language and culture.

Located a short distance north of Boston, CAST is a nonprofit education research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals through Universal Design for Learning. The CAST team includes about 40 talented employees, including world-class educators, learning scientists, instructional designers, literacy experts, policy analysts, UX and graphic designers, software engineers, and a first-rate administrative and executive staff. CAST pledges to work tirelessly to understand the full extent of human learner variability and to find transformative approaches that make education more effective for all.

The goal of COPSSE is to enhance classroom practice and improve outcomes for students with disabilities by undertaking a rigorous research agenda that addresses special education personnel issues. COPSSE research—which is available on this site in our online library—provides insights into chronic and pressing special education issues related to beginning teacher quality, effective initial preparation, and the effects of preparation alternatives.

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, advocates for individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.

The Office of the Federal Register informs citizens of their rights and obligations, documents the actions of Federal agencies, and provides a forum for public participation in the democratic process. Their publications provide access to a wide range of Federal benefits and opportunities for funding and contain comprehensive information about the various activities of the United States Government. In addition, they administer the Electoral College for Presidential elections and the Constitutional amendment process.

The Federal Register is updated daily by 6 a.m. and is published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, and consists of four types of entries.

• Presidential Documents, including Executive orders and proclamations.

• Rules and Regulations, including policy statements and interpretations of rules.

• Proposed Rules, including petitions for rulemaking and other advance proposals.

• Notices, including scheduled hearings and meetings open to the public, grant applications, administrative orders, and other announcements of government actions.

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) offered a way to find digital teaching and learning resources created and maintained by the federal government and public and private organizations. FREE was maintained by the U.S. Department of Education. FREE was conceived in 1997 by a federal working group in response to a memo from the President. The site was launched a year later. It was redesigned and re-launched for the first time in November 2006, again in June 2013, and again in September 2014.

Technology has made it increasingly easier to find information from government agencies or with custom search tools, like Kids.gov. The FREE.ED.gov site was retired in June 2015.

A program from the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) this website focuses on emergent literacy skills in children.

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is an international organization that concerns itself with the complex issues of dyslexia. The IDA membership consists of a variety of professionals in partnership with dyslexics and their families and all others interested in The Association’s mission. They believe that all individuals have the right to achieve their potential, that individual learning abilities can be strengthened and that social, educational and cultural barriers to language acquisition and use must be removed. The IDA actively promotes effective teaching approaches and related clinical educational intervention strategies for dyslexics. They support and encourage interdisciplinary research. They facilitate the exploration of the causes and early identification of dyslexia and are committed to the responsible and wide dissemination of research based knowledge.

Dedicated to promoting high levels of literacy for all by improving the quality of reading instruction, disseminating research and information about reading and encouraging the lifetime reading habit.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) is the premier nonprofit organization serving educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected learners in a connected world. ISTE serves more than 100,000 education stakeholders throughout the world.

The vision of ISTE is a world where all learners thrive, achieve and contribute. As the creator and steward of the definitive education technology standards, our mission is to empower learners to flourish in a connected world by cultivating a passionate professional learning community, linking educators and partners, leveraging knowledge and expertise, advocating for strategic policies, and continually improving learning and teaching.

Since 1938, NASDSE has provided leadership in the work of providing a quality education to every child. NASDSE focuses on improving educational services and outcomes for children and youth with disabilities throughout the United States, the Department of Defense, the federated territories and the Freely Associated States of Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. As we enter our 79th year, our goal continues to be to help state education agencies ensure that every student with a disability is prepared to make a successful transition to post-high school education, employment and independent living.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES is located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally. 

Creating a literate nation by leveraging the power of families.

The National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities is committed to improving access to quality educational services for students who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or those with significant support needs by serving as a central resource for information, research, training, and technical support for families and educational professionals. Click on the link to learn more.

To meet the challenges of implementing effective progress monitoring, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has funded the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring. Housed at the American Institutes for Research, and working in conjunction with researchers from Vanderbilt University , we are a national technical assistance and dissemination center dedicated to the implementation of scientifically based student progress monitoring.

The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement. Members are involved in the construction and use of standardized tests; new forms of assessment, including performance-based assessment; program design; and program evaluation.  During the past 20 years, the NCME membership has become more diverse, broadening the scope of the organization's vision. Service to communities and ensuring that assessment is fair and equitable for all students have become essential elements of NCME's mission and purposes.

Dedicated to information literacy which is defined as the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand.

The NICHD was established by President John F. Kennedy, with the support of congress, in 1962 to study the "complex process of human development from conception to old age." In pursuit of its broad mission, the NICHD conducts and supports laboratory research, clinical trials, and epidemiological studies that explore health processes; examines the impact of disabilities, diseases, and variations on the lives of individuals; and sponsors training programs for scientists, health care providers, and researchers to ensure that NICHD research can continue.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducts and supports research in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language.

NIMAS is the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard.   NIMAS means the standard established by the Secretary of Education to be used in the preparation of electronic files suitable and used solely for efficient conversion into specialized formats.  “Specialized formats” (a) means Braille, audio, or digital text which is exclusively for use by blind or other persons with disabilities; and (b) with respect to print instructional materials, includes large print formats when such materials are distributed exclusively for use by blind or other persons with disabilities.   

The National Resource Center on ADHD (NRC) is the nation's clearinghouse for the latest evidence-based information on ADHD. The NRC is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. 

ASHA has partnered with Reading Rockets to provide resources especially chosen to support the professional efforts of SLPs and their vital role in building children's literacy. Also visit their new sister site: AdLit.org about adolescent literacy.

The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID), a national membership organization, plays a leading role in advocating for excellence in the delivery of interpretation and transliteration services between people who use sign language and people who use spoken language. In collaboration with the Deaf community, RID supports our members and encourages the growth of the profession through the establishment of a national standard for qualified sign language interpreters and transliterators, ongoing professional development and adherence to a code of professional conduct.

U.S. Government website where one can find, view, and comment on regulations and other actions for all federal agencies.

RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, is the premier professional organization dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of people with disabilities through increasing access to technology solutions. RESNA advances the field by offering certification, continuing education, and professional development; developing assistive technology standards; promoting research and public policy; and sponsoring forums for the exchange of information and ideas to meet the needs of our multidisciplinary constituency. Their phone number is (703) 524-6686.

Alaska's Educational Resource Center has a lot of helpful expertise and and educational support.

For 40 years, TASH has advocated for human rights and inclusion for people with significant disabilities and support needs – those most vulnerable to segregation, abuse, neglect and institutionalization. TASH works to advance inclusive communities through advocacy, research, professional development, policy, and resources for parents, families and self-advocates. TASH ensures that all individuals have the opportunity to learn, work, and enjoy life amongst a diverse community of family, friends, and colleagues.

United States Department of Education

      Office of English Language Acquisition

      Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

United States Department of Labor

      Bureau of Labor Statistics

      Occupational Outlook Handbook - Speech-Language Pathologists