A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Vermont State Resources

Complete update · 1/2008
Partial update · 3/3/2008

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 Patrick J. Leahy (D)
433 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4242; (800) 642-3193 (in VT)
E-mail Web Form: http://leahy.senate.gov/contact.html
Web: http://leahy.senate.gov

Honorable Bernard Sanders (I)
332 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5141; (800) 835-5500 (V/TTY)
E-mail: http://sanders.senate.gov/comments
Web: http://sanders.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 Jim Douglas
Office of the Governor
109 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05609
(802) 828-3333; (802) 828-3339 (Fax)
(800) 649-6825 (in VT only)
E-mail Web Form: http://governor.vermont.gov/contact.html
Web: www.vermont.gov/governor/

Official State Web Site
Web: www.vermont.gov/portal

State Department of Education: Special Education
Karin Edwards, Director
Student Support Services
120 State Street, State Office Building
Montpelier, VT 05620-2501
(802) 828-2755
E-mail: karin.edwards@state.vt.us
Web: www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/pgm_sped.html

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Gail Taylor, Director
Standards & Assessment
Student Support Services
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620-2501
(802) 828-5158
E-mail: gail.taylor@state.vt.us
Web: www.education.vermont.gov

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2
Helen Keith, Director
Family, Infant and Toddler Program
Department for Children and Families
Child Development Division
103 S. Main Street
Waterbury, VT 05671-2901
(802) 241-3622
E-mail: helen.keith@ahs.state.vt.us
Web: www.dcf.state.vt.us/cdd

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Special Education Unit
Department of Education
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620-2501
(802) 828-5114
Web: www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/pgm_sped.html

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Diane Dalmasse, Director
Vocational Rehabilitation Division
Department of Aging and Independent Living
Agency of Human Services
103 S. Main Street
Waterbury, VT 05671-2303
(802) 241-2186
E-mail: diane.dalmasse@ahs.state.vt.us
Web: www.vocrehab.vermont.gov/

Coordinator for Transition Services
K. Michael Ferguson, Special Education Consultant BEST Team
Vermont State Department of Education
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620
(802) 828-5110
E-mail: michael.ferguson@state.vt.us
Web: http://education.vermont.gov/

Office of State Coordinator of Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities
Ebony Kirkland, Special Needs Consultant
Vocational Education for Disadvantaged and Handicapped Programs
Department of Education
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620
(802) 828-5132
E-mail: ebony.kirkland@state.vt.us
Web: www.state.vt.us/educ

State Mental Health Services
Charles Biss, Director
Department of Mental Health
Agency of Human Services
P.O. Box 70
Burlington, VT 05402-0070
(802) 652-2000
E-mail: cbiss@vdh.state.vt.us
Web: www.healthvermont.gov/

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth
Charles Biss, Director of the Child, Adolescent and Family Unit
Department of Mental Health
P.O. Box 70
Burlington, VT 05402-0070
(802) 652-2000
E-mail: cbiss@vdh.state.vt.us
Web: www.healthvermont.gov/

Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities
Theresa Wood, Deputy Commissioner
Division of Developmental Services
Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living
103 S. Main Street, Weeks Building
Waterbury, VT 05671-1601
(802) 241-2648; (802) 241-2614
E-mail: theresa.wood@ahs.state.vt.us
Web: http://healthvermont.gov/

Councils on Developmental Disabilities
Karen Schwartz, Executive Director
Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council
103 S. Main Street
Waterbury, VT 05671-0602
(802) 241-2612 (V/TTY); (888) 317-2006
E-mail: karen.schwartz@ahs.state.vt.us
Web: http://ddc.vermont.gov

Disability Rights Advocacy
Nancy Breiden, Director
Disability Law Project
57 N. Main Street
Rutland, VT 05701
(802) 775-0021; (800) 769-7459 (V/TTY)
(800) 889-2047 (state office); (802) 229-1603 (TTY)
E-mail: nbreiden@vtlegalaid.org
Web: www.vtlegalaid.org

Ed Paquin, Executive Director
Vermont Protection and Advocacy, Inc.
141 Main Street, Suite 7
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 229-1355; (800) 834-7890 (In VT)
(802) 229-2603 (TTY)
E-mail: info@vtpa.org
Web: www.vtpa.org

Client Assistance Program
Nancy Breiden, Director
Disability Law Project
57 N. Main Street
Rutland, VT 05701
(802) 775-0021; (800) 769-7459 (V/TTY)
(800) 889-2047 (state office)
E-mail: nbreiden@vtlegalaid.org
Web: www.vtlegalaid.org

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Steve Brooks, Operations Director
Carol Hassler, Medical Director
Children with Special Health Needs
Department of Health
108 Cherry Street
P.O. Box 70
Burlington, VT 05402
(802) 863-7338
E-mail: chassle@vdh.state.vt.us
Web: www.healthvermont.gov/family/cshn/cshn.aspx

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
Dr. Dynasaur
103 S. Main Street
Waterbury, VT 05671
(800) 250-8427
Web: www.path.state.vt.us/Programs_Pages/Healthcare/drdynasaur.htm

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Fred Jones, Director
Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living
Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired
103 South Main Street, Weeks IC, Room 109
Waterbury, VT 05671-2304
(802) 241-2210; (888) 405-5005
E-mail: fred.jones@ahs.state.vt.us
Web: www.dail.state.vt.us/dbvi

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Lori Yarrow, Field Services Manager
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
103 S. Main Street, Weeks 1A
Waterbury, VT 05671-2303
(802) 241-2186 (V/TTY) ; (802) 241-2199 (TTY)
E-mail: lori.yarrow@ahs.state.vt.us
Web: www.vocrehab.vermont.gov

Robert W. Carter, President
Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
209 Austine Drive
Brattleboro, VT 05301
(802) 258-9500 (V/TTY)
Web: www.vcdhh.org/wp/

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 253-0195 (V)
(800) 253-0191 (TTY); 711 (TTY)
(800) 229-5746 (Speech to Speech - English)
(866) 260-9470 (Speech to Speech - Spanish)

State Education Agency Rural Representative
Department of Education
Special Education Unit
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 828-0555
Web: www.state.vt.us/educ

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
Susan Ryan, Executive Director
Center on Disability and Community Inclusion
University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service
University of Vermont
208 Colchester Avenue
Burlington, VT 05405-1757
(802) 656-4031 (V); (802) 656-8499 (TTY)
E-mail: susan.ryan@uvm.edu
Web: www.uvm.edu/~cdci

Technology-Related Assistance
Julie Tucker, Director
Vermont Assistive Technology Project
103 South Main Street, Weeks Building
Waterbury, VT 05671-2305
(802) 241-2672 (V/TTY)
E-mail: julie.tucker@ahs.state.vt.us
Web: www.dail.state.vt.us/ATP

State Mediation System
Susan Boyd, Coordinator
Vermont Department of Education
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620-2501
(802) 828-3136
E-mail: Sboyd@doe.state.vt.us
Web: www.state.vt.us/educ/

Special Format Library
Teresa R. Faust, Consultant
Vermont Department of Libraries
Special Services Unit
578 Paine Turnpike North
Berlin, VT 05602
(802) 828-3273; (800) 479-1711
E-mail: ssu@mail.dol.state.vt.us

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
Lisa W. Lawlor, Director
Autism Society of Vermont
P.O. Box 978
White River Junction, VT 05001
(802) 457-3764; (800) 559-7398
Web: www.autism-info.org

Lynn George, President
Autism Support Daily
P.O. Box 4556
Burlington, VT 05406
(802) 985-8773
E-mail: Info@AutismSupportDaily.com
Web: www.AutismSupportDaily.com

Claudia Pringles, President
AAWARE - Approach Autism with Advocacy Recovery & Education
7 River Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 229-4665
E-mail: info@aaware.org
Web: www.aaware.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

Steve Pouliot, Executive Director
Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired
37 Elmwood Avenue
Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 863-1358; (800) 639-5861
E-mail: general@vabvi.org
Web: www.vabvi.org/

Brain Injury
Brain Injury Association of Vermont
P.O. Box 226
Shelburne, VT 05482-0226
(877) 856-1772
E-mail: biavtsupport@comcast.net
Web: www.biavt.org

Cerebral Palsy
James Lund, Executive Director
Association for Cerebral Palsy
73 Main Street, Room 17
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 223-5161

Down Syndrome
(serving Rutland county)
Down Right Special, Rutland
29 Ronaldo Court
Rutland, VT 05701
(802) 773-6849 (Leigh)
(802) 773-7343 (Fred)
E-mail: LLombardy@aol.com
E-mail: fwortman@verizon.net

Epilepsy
Audrey Butler, Executive Director
Epilepsy Foundation of Vermont
P.O. Box 6292
Rutland, VT 05702
(802) 775-1686; (800) 565-0972
E-mail: epilepsy@sover.net

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
James Lund, Executive Director
Central Vermont Advocacy
73 Main Street, Suite 17
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 223-6149
E-mail: cvtarc@comcast.net

Learning Disabilities
Learning Disabilities Association of America
4156 Library Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15234-1349
(412) 341-1515
Web: www.ldanatl.org

Beth McClure, President
New Hampshire Branch of the International Dyslexia Association
(also serving Vermont and Maine)
P.O. Box 3724
Concord, NH 03302-3724
(603) 229-7355
E-mail: information@nhida.org
Web: www.nhida.org

Mental Health
National Mental Health Association (NMHA)
( to identify an NMHA chapter in your state )
1021 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-2971
(800) 969-6642
Web: www.nmha.org

Larry Lewack, Executive Director
NAMI Vermont
132 S. Main Street
Waterbury, VT 05676
(802) 244-1396; (800) 639-6480
E-mail: info@namivt.org
Web: www.namivt.org

Kathy Holsopple, Executive Director
Vermont Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health
P.O. Box 507
Waterbury, VT 05676-0507
(802) 434-6757; (800) 639-6071 (Families only)
E-mail: vffcmh@vffcmh.org
Web: www.vffcmh.org

Speech, Language, and Hearing
Kari Fabrizio, President
Vermont Speech-Language-Hearing Association
E-mail: president@vsha.us
Web: www.vsha.us

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)
Connie Curtin, Director
Vermont Parent Information Center
600 Blair Park Road, Suite 301
Williston, VT 05495
(802) 876-5315 (V/TTY); (800) 639-7170 (In VT)
E-mail: vpic@vtpic.com
Web: www.vtpic.com

Parent-To-Parent
Julie A. Arel, MSW, MPH, Executive Director
Parent-to-Parent of Vermont
600 Blair Park Road, Suite 240
Williston, VT 05495-7549
(800) 800-4005, ext. 16; (802) 764-5290, ext. 16
E-mail: juliea@partoparvt.org
Web: www.partoparvt.org

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Priscilla Beaulieu, President
Vermont Congress of Parents and Teachers
P.O. Box 284
Richmond, VT 05477
(802) 434-4078
E-mail: vt_office@pta.org

Other Disability Organizations

Donna Bailey and Susan Harding, Co-Directors
Addison County Parent Child Center
P.O. Box 646
Middleburg, VT 05753
(802) 388-3171
Web: www.sover.net/~thepcc

Sheila Smith, Office Manager
Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 223-6140
E-mail: ssmith@sover.net
Web: www.vcdr.org

Judith Chalmer, Executive Director
VSA arts of Vermont
The Woolen Mill
20 W. Canal Street
Winooski, VT 05404
(802) 655-7772
E-mail: info@vsavt.org
Web: www.vsavt.org

Independent Living
Deborah Lisi-Baker, Executive Director
Vermont Center for Independent Living
11 E. State Street
Montpelier, VT 05602-3008
(802) 229-0501; (800) 639-1522 (V/TTY)
E-mail: vcil@vcil.org
Web: www.vcil.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