Resources for Parents, Caregivers, and Family Members with Disabilities

The Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) provides a variety of services including, Early Learning, Child Welfare, Foster Care, Adoption, At-Risk/Runaway Youth, Independent Living Skills for Foster Youth, and Juvenile Rehabilitation, to name a few.  All of these services are required to adhere to the obligations in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to prevent intentional or unintentional discrimination of individuals with disabilities because of their disability. 

Being involved with DCYF can sometimes be overwhelming, below are other groups that may help parents with disabilities involved in child welfare. 

General Resources for Parents with Disabilities

• National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities
• Through the Looking Glass – a national resource, training, and service center for parents with disabilities.
• Parenting with a Disability: Know Your Rights Toolkit
• National Council on Disability
  • Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children

Parents Who are Blind or Have Low-Vision

• National Federation of the Blind – Blind Parents

Parents Who are D/deaf, Deaf-Blind, or Hard of Hearing

• National Association of the Deaf
  • NAD Position Statement on Improving Child Protective Services for Families with Deaf Individuals.

Parents with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities

• The Arc - Parents with Intellectual Disabilities

Parents with Learning Difficulties

• The Association for Successful Parenting (TASP)

Learn About DCYF's Disability Access Work Plan

DCYF wants everyone to be able to use the agency’s services, programs, and information. The Disability Access Work Plan explains how DCYF will improve accessibility and support people with disabilities and gives an overview of the steps DCYF is taking—and plans to take—to make sure people with disabilities can use its programs and services fairly and equally. This is the start of a larger initiative. Items that are not included in this plan will be listed in the sections for future needs or considerations.  

This work plan:

• Defines “accessibility” and “equitable access”
• Forms a steering committee to support accessibility work
• Develops agency-wide efforts and a method for choosing which accessibility projects to do first
• Creates ways to regularly review and update the plan

To learn more, view the Disability Access Work Plan.