A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Rhode Island State Resources

Complete update · 11/2006
Partial update · 1/4/2008

The offices listed on this state sheet are primarily state-level offices. Even if an office is not close to your home, they can usually put you in touch with resources in your community, as well as provide you with information and assistance about disability issues in your state. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.

State Agencies and Organizations

Age of Eligibility

Each state sets eligibility ages for services to children and youth with disabilities. For current information concerning this state, please contact the office listed under Department of Education: Special Education.

United States Senators
Honorable Jack Reed (D)
728 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4642
(202) 224-4680 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://reed.senate.gov/contact/contact-share.cfm
Web: http://reed.senate.gov

Honorable Sheldon Whitehouse (D)
502 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2921; (202) 224-7746 (TTY)
(800) 662-5188 (in RI)
E-mail Web Form: http://whitehouse.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Web: http://whitehouse.senate.gov/

United States Representatives
To find the contact information for your representative in the House of the U.S. Congress, visit the House’s Web site at: www.house.gov, or call: (202) 225-3121; (202) 225-1904 (TTY).

Governor
Honorable Donald L. Carcieri
Office of the Governor
State House, Room 115
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2080
Web: www.governor.state.ri.us

Official State Web Site
Web: www.ri.gov

Governor's Commission on Disabilities
Bob Cooper, Executive Secretary
Governor’s Commission on Disabilities
John O. Pastore Center
41 Cherry Dale Court
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 462-0100; (401) 462-0101 (TTY)
Web: www.disabilities.ri.gov

State Department of Education: Special Education
Kenneth G. Swanson, Director
Office for Diverse Learners
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Room 400, Shepard Building
Providence, RI 02903-3400
(401) 222-3505
Web: www.ride.ri.gov

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Office for Diverse Learners
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Room 400, Shepard Building
Providence, RI 02903-3400
(401) 222-3505
Web: www.ride.ri.gov

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2
Brenda DuHamel, Part C Coordinator
Chief, Family Health Systems
Department of Human Services
Center for Child and Family Health
600 New London Avenue
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 462-0318
E-mail: BDuhamel@dhs.ri.gov
Web: www.dhs.state.ri.us/dhs/famchild/early_intervention.htm

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Michele Palermo, Coordinator
Office for Diverse Learners
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Shepard Building
Providence, RI 02903-3414
(401) 222-8941
Web: www.ride.ri.gov

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Raymond A. Carroll, Administrator
Office of Rehabilitation Services
Department of Human Services
40 Fountain Street
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 421-7005, Ext. 301; (401) 421-7016 (TTY)
E-mail: rcarroll@ors.ri.gov
Web: www.ors.ri.gov

Coordinator for Transition Services
J. David Sienko, Education Specialist
Rhode Island Department of Education
255 Westminister Street, Shepard Building
Providence, RI 02903-3400
(401) 222-8987
E-mail: david.sienko@ride.ri.gov
Web: www.ride.ri.gov/special_populations/default.aspx

State Department of Education: Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities
J. David Sienko, Education Specialist
Rhode Island Department of Education
255 Westminister Street, Shepard Building
Providence, RI 02903-3400
(401) 222-8987
E-mail: david.sienko@ride.ri.gov
Web: www.ride.ri.gov/special_populations/default.aspx

State Mental Health Agency
Ellen Nelson, Ph.D., Director
Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals
14 Harrington Road
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 462-3201
E-mail: enelson@mhrh.ri.gov
Web: www.mhrh.ri.gov

State Mental Health Agency for Children and Youth
Janet L. Anderson, Ed.D., Assistant Director of Children's Behavioral Health and Education
Department of Children, Youth and Families
101 Friendship Street
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 528-3756
E-mail: janet.anderson@dcyf.ri.gov
Web: www.dcyf.ri.gov

Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities
Susan L. Babin, Administrator
Division of Developmental Disabilities
Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals
14 Harrington Road, Barry Hall
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 462-6026
E-mail: sbabin@mhrh.ri.gov

Councils on Developmental Disabilities
Mary E. Okero, Executive Director
Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council
400 Bald Hill Road, Suite 515
Warwick, RI 02886
(401) 737-1238
E-mail: riddc@riddc.org
Web: www.riddc.org

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Raymond L Bandusky, Executive Director
Rhode Island Disability Law Center
349 Eddy Street
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 831-3150; (401) 831-5335 (TTY)
(800) 733-5332 (in RI)
E-mail: rbandusky@ridlc.org
Web: www.ridlc.org

Client Assistance Program
Contact Protection and Advocacy Program, listed above.

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Deborah Garneau, Chief
Office for Special Healthcare Needs
Rhode Island Department of Health
3 Capitol Hill, Room 302
Providence, RI 02908-5097
(401) 222-5929; (401) 222-2312
E-mail: deborah.garneau@health.ri.gov
Web: www.health.ri.gov

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
RIte Care
(401) 462-5300(V); (401) 462- 3363 (TTY)
(401) 462-1500 (Spanish)
Web: www.dhs.state.ri.us/dhs/famchild/shcare.htm

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Department of Human Services
40 Fountain Street
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2300
(401) 272-8090 (Hispanic telephone line)
Web: www.ors.ri.gov

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing or Deaf-Blind
Steven A. Florio, Executive Director
Rhode Island Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
One Capitol Hill, Ground Level
Providence, RI 02908-5850
(401) 222-1204 (V); (401) 222-1205 (TTY)
E-mail: cdhh@cdhh.ri.gov
Web: www.cdhh.ri.gov

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 745-6575 (V)
(800) 745-5555 (TTY); 711 (TTY)
(800) 745-1570 (ASCII)
(866) 355-9213 (Speech to Speech)
(866) 355-9214 (Spanish)

State Education Agency Rural Representative
Office for Diverse Learners
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Room 400, Shepard Building
Providence, RI 02903-3400
(401) 222-3505
Web: www.ride.ri.gov

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center
Valerie Fletcher, Executive Director
Oce Harrison, Project Director
DBTAC - New England ADA Center
Adaptive Environments Center, Inc.
180-200 Portland Street, First Floor
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 695-1225 (V/TTY); (800) 949-4232 V/TTY)
E-mail: adainfo@newenglandada.org
Web: http://adaptiveenvironments.org/neada/site/home

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
A. Anthony Antosh, Director
The Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities
Rhode Island College
600 Mount Pleasant Avenue
Providence, RI 02908
(401) 456-8072; (401) 456-8773 (TTY)
E-mail: aantosh@ric.edu
Web: www.sherlockcenter.org

Technology-Related Assistance
Kathleen Burrell, Program Director
Rhode Island Assistive Technology Access Partnership
Office of Rehabilitation Services
40 Fountain Street
Providence, RI 02903-1898
(401) 421-7005 Ext. 373; (401) 421-7016 (TTY)
E-mail: kburrell@ors.ri.gov
Web: www.atap.ri.gov

State Mediation System
Kenneth Swanson
Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
255 Westminster Street, Shephard Building
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-8326
E-mail: kenneth.swanson@ride.ri.gov

Special Format Library
Andrew Egan, Regional Librarian
Talking Books Plus
Office of Library and Information Services
One Capitol Hill
Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-5800; (800) 745-5555 (TTY)
E-mail: tbplus@lori.ri.gov
Web: www.olis.ri.gov/tbp/

Disability-Specific Organizations

Attention Deficit Disorder
To identify an ADD group in your state or locality, contact either:

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
8181 Professional Place, Suite 150
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 306-7070
(800) 233-4050 (Voice mail to request information packet)
Web: www.chadd.org

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
P.O. Box 543
Pottstown, PA 19464-0543
(484) 945-2101
Web: www.add.org

Autism
To identify an autism group in your state, contact:
Autism Society of America
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 657-0881; (800) 3-AUTISM
Web: www.autism-society.org

Blind/Visual Impairments
Jaclyn Packer, Ph.D., Director of Information Center
American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
(212) 502-7600; (800) 232-5463
E-mail: afbinfo@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Richard Gaffney, President
National Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island
P.O. Box 154564
Riverside, RI 02915
(401) 433-2606
E-mail: info@nfbri.org
Web: www.nfbri.org

Brain Injury
Sharon Brinkworth, Executive Director
Brain Injury Association of Rhode Island, Inc.
935 Park Avenue, Suite 8
Cranston, RI 02910
(401) 461-6599; (888) 824-8911
E-mail: braininjuryctr@biaofri.org
Web: www.biaofri.org

Cerebral Palsy/Developmental Disabilities
United Cerebral Palsy of Rhode Island
200 Main Street, Suite 210
Pawtucket, RI 02862
(401) 728-1800
E-mail: ucprisupport@ucpri.org
Web: www.ucpri.org

Down Syndrome
Claudia M. Lowe
Down Syndrome Society of Rhode Island, Inc
99 Bald Hill Road
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 463-5751; (800) 745-5555 (TDD for RI Relay)
E-mail: coordinator@dssri.org
Web: www.dssri.org

Epilepsy
Leslie G. Brody, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer
Epilepsy Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island
540 Gallivant Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02124
(617) 506-6041; (888) 576-9996
Web: www.efmri.org

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Mary Lou McCaffrey, Executive Director
Rhode Island Arc
99 Bald Hill Road
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 463-9191
E-mail: RhodeIslandArc@cs.com

Mental Health
Mental Health Association of Rhode Island
500 Prospect Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 726-2285
E-mail: mhari@mhari.org
Web: www.mhari.org

Cathy Ciano, Executive Director
Parent Support Network of Rhode Island
Crossroads Common Plaza
1395 Atwood Avenue, Suite 114
Johnston, RI 02919
(401) 467-6855; (800) 483-8844 (in RI)
E-mail: c.ciano@psnri.org
Web: www.psnri.org

Chaz Gross, Executive Director
NAMI Rhode Island
154 Waterman Street, Suite 5B
Providence, RI 02906
(401) 331-3060; (800) 749-3197
E-mail: chaznami@cox.net
Web: www.namirhodeisland.org

Special Health Care Needs
Dawn Wardyga, Program Director
Family Voices of the Rhode Island Parent Information Network
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 727-4144 ext. 158; (800) 464-3399 ext. 158 (in RI)
E-mail: familyvoices@ripin.org
Web: http://ripin.org/

Speech, Language, and Hearing
Sheryl C. Amaral, President
Rhode Island Speech-Language-Hearing Association
P.O. Box 9241
Providence, RI 02940
(401) 455-7472
Web: www.risha.info

Tourette Syndrome
Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc.
42-40 Bell Boulevard
Bayside, NY 11361-2820
(718) 224-2999
E-mail: ts@tsa-usa.org
Web: www.tsa-usa.org

Organizations Especially for Parents

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI)
Cheryl Collins, Program Director
Rhode Island Parent Info Network (RIPIN)
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 727-4144, ext. 152; (800) 464-3399 (In RI)
E-mail: collins@ripin.org
Web: www.ripin.org

Parent-To-Parent
Barbara Torres, Family Support Coordinator
Family to Family of Rhode Island
Family Voices at the Rhode Island Parent Information Network
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 727-4144, ext. 161; (800) 401-3399 (in RI)
Email: torres@ripin.org
Web: www.rifamilytofamily.net

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Rhode Island Congress of Parents and Teachers
RIC East Campus-Building 6
600 Mount Pleasant Avenue
Providence, RI 02908
(401) 272-6405
E-mail: ri_office@pta.org

Other Disability Organizations

Advocates in Action
P.O. Box 41528
Providence, RI 02940-1528
(401) 785-2028; (800) 745-5555 (TTY, via RI relay)
Web: www.aina-ri.org

Exeter/West Greenwich Individuals Needs Advisory Committee
c/o Special Services Office
930 Nooseneck Hill Road
West Greenwich, RI 02817
E-mail: EWGINAC@att.net
Web: http://EWGINAC.home.att.net

Jeannine L. Chartier, Executive & Artistic Director
VSA arts of Rhode Island
500 Prospect Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401) 725-0247
E-mail: programs@vsartsri.org
Web: www.vsartsri.org

Independent Living

To find out the contact information for the Statewide
Independent Living Council (SILC) in your state, contact:
Independent Living Research Utilization Project
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research
2323 South Sheppard, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 520-0232 (V); (713) 520-5136 (TTY)
E-mail: ilru@ilru.org
Web: www.ilru.org

To find out the contact information for centers for
independent living (CILs) in your state, contact:
National Council on Independent Living
1710 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 207-0334 (V); (202) 207-0340 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org

This information is copyright free. Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY).
NICHCY State Resources are listings of selected state-wide organizations that can refer people to organizations in their area. We update our state resources continuously; however, the addresses and telephone numbers of these selected groups are constantly changing. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.
Publication of this document is made possible through a Cooperative Agreement between the Academy for Educational Development and the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.	NICHCY P.O. Box 1492 Washington, DC 20013 (800) 695-0285 · v/tty (202) 884-8441 · fax e-mail: nichcy@aed.org web: www.nichcy.org