Services throughout North Carolina are offered locally through LME's (Local Management Entities). They were formerly called Area Programs, and sometimes are referred to as "local mental health authority". The state Web site above will connect you to the LME where you live. It also has frequent updates about the reform effort underway in North Carolina. This reform is changing many things about how people can get help and what kind of help they can get.
The Arc of North Carolina is a local chapter of the Arc of the United States. Listed on the NC Web site is contact information for regional Arc chapters. The Arc offers certain services, advocacy, and support and information for individuals and families experiencing developmental disabilities.
The Council on Developmental Disabilities is an independent, federally-funded organization housed in the NC Department of Health and Human Services. Their Web site tells about their local advocacy efforts, their Participant Involvement Fund, and how to apply for the local grants they offer each year, as well as other information about the work they do in North Carolina.
The Association of Self Advocates of North Carolina Web site contains useful definitions of Self advocacy and Self-determination. This site is designed by and for self-advocates and includes a membership application.
Exceptional Children's Assistance Center is the federally mandated Parent Information and Training Center in North Carolina. ECAC offers parent training workshops across the state and has parent information packets on many topics related to educational. They also have a very comprehensive free lending library for parents.
The Family Support Network of NC is an Information and Referral organization, with a convenient online Central Directory of Resources.
The Asset-based community development (ABCD) Web site offers the principles and practical application of the work of John McKnight and his colleagues. They believe that all communities are rich and offer practical ways to engage everyone so that full community capacity is possible. First In Families Chapters and staff have been trained by the ABCD staff, and practice these ideas in the local work we do.
Children and adults with developmental disabilities often are labeled as having "problem behaviors." David Pitonyak offers new approaches to solving a person's "difficult behaviors" with the assumption that behavior is a form of communication. His Web site offers workshops, practical information and a positive attitude.
First In Families of North Carolina | 524 S. Duke Street | Durham, NC 27702-1665
919-943-5757 | email