Pennsylvania Resources
PEAL Center
The PEAL Center is Pennsylvania's Statewide Parent Training and Information Center. PEAL provides free advocacy and special education support to families and self-advocates with disabilities. Services include connection with trained family resource specialists, trainings, and disability-related events in PA. For more information, call 866-950-1040 (toll free).
ASERT Program
Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative (ASERT) is a statewide initiative that aims to provide streamlined access to information for Pennsylvanians living with Autism. They provide information related to education supports, behavior supports, and community resources, among others.
Include Me
Include Me is a new model for the inclusive education and gaining meaningful employment for Pennsylvania's students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc of Pennsylvania and Include Me believes all individuals with significant impact of developmental and intellectual disability deserve equal educational and competitive employment rights. Our mission, build and strengthen the inclusive education capacity for all public-school students, and discover meaningful employment opportunities meeting Pennsylvania employee and employer needs. Include Me strives to ensure all impacted students have equal access to all aspects of life and the community throughout their lifespan. The mission of the Include Me Program is to provide on-site, intensive training and technical assistance to school districts, teachers, and families to increase their capacity to educate students with significant disabilities in general education classes and typical preschool settings. For more information, please call (717) 234-2621.
The Arc of Pennsylvania
The Arc of Pennsylvania has 33 local chapters and represents over 8,000 members. Our state office coordinates strategic, grassroots advocacy efforts; provides policy analysis and trainings, and implements the statewide Include Me and the Arc Discovery Employment Transitions (ADEPT) programs that serve children and adults. The Arc of Pennsylvania focuses on systems advocacy and governmental affairs, demonstrating leadership and guidance among all disability organizations in Pennsylvania. Our local chapters of The Arc provide a variety of critical services, including advocacy services, Early Intervention, residential and day supports, home-care assistance, and job training.
Intensive Behavioral Health Services
Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) support children, youth, and young adults with mental, emotional, and behavioral health needs. IBHS is run through the Department of Human Services. IBHS offers a wide array of services that meet the needs of these individuals in their homes, schools, and communities. IBHS has three categories of service: 1) Individual services which provide services to one child; 2) Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) which is a specific behavioral approach to services; and 3) Group services which are most often provided to multiple children at a specific place. Evidence-based treatment (EBT) can be delivered through individual services, ABA services, and group services. For more information, call 412-565-5226 (Western Field Office, Rich Latsko, rlatsko@pa.gov).
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