State Agencies and Organizations

United States Senators
Honorable Bob Graham (D)
524 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3041; (202) 224-5621 (TTY)
(202) 224-2237 (Fax)
E-mail: bob_graham@graham.senate.gov
Web: http://graham.senate.gov

Honorable Bill Nelson (D)
716 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5274
(202) 224-8022 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm#email
Web: http://billnelson.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) 224-3121; (202) 225-1904 (TTY).

Governor
Honorable Jeb Bush
Executive Office of the Governor
400 S. Monroe Street
The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
(850) 488-4441
(850) 487-0801 (fax)
E-mail: jeb.bush@myflorida.com
Web: www.myflorida.com

Official State Web Site
Web: www.myflorida.com/

State Department of Education: Special Education
Shan Goff, Chief
Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 614
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0475
E-mail: shan.goff@fldoe.org
Web: www.myfloridaeducation.com/commhome

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Evy Friend, Program Specialist
Exceptional Student Education
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0478
E-mail: evy.friend@fldoe.org
Web: www.fldoe.org

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2
Dr. Mike Haney, Division Director
Prevention and Interventions
Children's Medical Services
Department of Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-06
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1707
(850) 245-4200
E-mail: Mike_Haney@doh.state.fl.us
Web: www.myflorida.com

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Katherine Kamiya, Executive Director
Florida Partnership for School Readiness
600 S. Calhoun Street
Holland Building, Room 251
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0240
(850) 922-4200
E-mail: katherine.kamiya@schoolreadiness.org
Web: www.schoolreadiness.org

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Loretta Costin, Director
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Education
2002 Old St. Augustine Road, Building A
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4862
(850) 488-6210; (800) 451-4327
Web: www.rehabworks.org

Coordinator for Transition Services
The Transition Center
University of Florida
P.O. Box 117050
Gainesville, FL 32611-7050
(352)392-0701, Ext. 267
E-mail: transitioncenter@coe.ufl.edu
Web: www.thetransitioncenter.org

Office of State Coordinator of Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities
Jane Silveria, State Supervisor
Office of Workforce Education
Department of Education, Turlington Building
325 W. Gaines Street, Room 701
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-9022
E-mail: Jane.Silveria@fldoe.org
Web: www.myfloridaeducation.com/commhome

State Mental Health Agency
Celeste Putnam, Director
Mental Health Programs Office
Department of Children and Families
1317 Winewood Boulevard, Building 6
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700
(850) 488-8304
E-mail: Celeste_Putnam@dcf.state.fl.us
Web: www.state.fl.us/cf_web/

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth
Sue Ross, Chief
Mental Health Programs Office
Department of Children and Families
1317 Winewood Boulevard, Building 6, Room 290
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700
(850) 488-8304
E-mail: Sue_Ross@dcf.state.fl.us
Web: www.state.fl.us/cf_web/

State Developmental Services
Shelly Brantley, Director
Developmental Disabilities Program
Florida Department of Children and Families
1317 Winewood Boulevard, Building 3, Room 325
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700
(850) 488-4257
E-mail: Shelly_Brantley@dcf.state.fl.us
Web: www.myflorida.com

State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council
Joseph Krieger, Executive Director
Florida Developmental Disabilities Council
124 Marriott Drive, Suite 203
Tallahassee, FL 32301-2981
(850) 488-4180
E-mail: joek.fddc@nettally.com
Web: www.fddc.org

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Gary Blumenthal, Executive Director
Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities
2671 Executive Center Circle West, Suite 100
Tallahassee, FL 32301-5092
(850) 488-9071; (800) 346-4127 (TTY)
(800) 342-0823; (800) 350-4566 (Spanish and Creole Speaking Clients)
E-mail: info@advocacycenter.org
Web: www.AdvocacyCenter.org

Client Assistance Program
Corey Hinds, CAP Program Director
Contact Protection and Advocacy Agency listed above

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Dr. Phyllis Sloyer
Children's Medical Services Network and Other Related Programs
Department of Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-06
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1707
(850) 245-4200

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
Florida KidCare
Agency for Healthcare Administration
2727 Mahan Drive
Building 3, Mailstop 20
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(888) 540-5437
Web: www.floridakidcare.org

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired
David Newton, Program Specialist
Division of Blind Services
Department of Education
1320 Executive Center Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32399
(850) 488-1330
E-mail: david_newton@dbs.doe.state.fl.us

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Cecil Bradley, VR Administrator
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services and School-to-Work Transition
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Education
2002 Old St. Augustine Road, Building A
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4862
(850) 488-6210 (V); (850) 413-9629 (TTY)
E-mail: bradlec@vr.doe.state.fl.us
Web: www.rehabworks.org

Telecommunications Relay for People who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf/Blind, or Speech Impaired
James Forstall, Executive Director
Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc.
1820 E. Park Avenue, Suite 101
Tallahassee, FL 32301
E-mail: jforstall@ftri.org
Web: www.ftri.org
Questions or comments: (800) 222-3448 (V); (888) 447-5620 (TTY)
To use the relay dial 711 or the following toll-free numbers:
1-800-955-8771 (TTY)
1-800-955-8770 (Voice)
1-800-955-3771 (ASCII)
1-877-955-8260 (Voice Carry Over-Direct)
1-800-955-5334 (Speech to Speech )
1-877-955-8773 (Spanish)
1-877-955-8707 (French Cr)

State Education Agency Rural Representative
Michele Polland, Administrator
Exceptional Student Education Program Development and Services
Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines, Suite 601
Tallahaseee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0478
E-mail: michele.polland@fldoe.org
Web: www.myfloridaeducation.com/commhome

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center
Shelley Kaplan, Project Director
Southeast Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center
Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access
Georgia Tech
490 10th Street
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 385-0636; (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: sedbtac@catea.org
Web: www.sedbtac.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Daniel Armstrong, Director
Mailman Center for Child Development
University of Miami School of Medicine
1601 N.W. 12th Avenue
Miami, FL 33136
(305) 243-6801
E-mail: darmstrong@miami.edu
Web: http://pediatrics.med.miami.edu

Technology-Related Assistance
Dr. Terry Ward, Director
Florida Alliance for Assistive Service and Technology
325 John Knox Road, Building B
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 487-3278; (888) 788-9216
(850) 922-5951 (TTY)
E-mail: faast@faast.org
Web: http://faast.org/

State Mediation System
Margot Palazesi, Coordinator
Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services
Florida Department of Education
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 614
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 488-1216
E-mail: margot.palazesi@fldoe.org
Web: www.myfloridaeducation.com/commhome

Special Format Library
Michael Gunde, Librarian
Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services
420 Platt Street
Daytona Beach, FL 32114-2804
(386) 239-6000; (800) 226-6075
(800) 955-8771 (TTY)
E-mail: mike_gunde@dbs.doe.state.fl.us
Web: www.klas.com/flbtbl

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 201
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
(484) 945-2101
Web: www.add.org

Autism
Autism Society of Florida, Inc.
P.O. Box 970646
Coconut Creek, FL 33097
(954) 349-2820
Web: www.autismfl.com

Holly Bortfeld, President
Autism Recovery Network
80 Chaney Drive
Casselberry, FL 32707
(407) 695-6092
E-mail: maximom@mindspring.com
Web: www.geocities.com/ARNFL

Greg Valcante, Ph.D., Director
Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD)
University of Florida
P.O. Box 100234
Gainesville, FL 32610
(352) 846-2761; (800) 754-5891
E-mail: card@mbi.ufl.edu
Web: www.card.ufl.edu

Blind/Visual Impairments
Frances Mary D'Andrea, Director
American Foundation for the Blind-National Literacy Center
100 Peachtree Street, Suite 620
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 525-2303
E-mail: literacy@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Brain Injury
Elynor Kazuk, Executive Director
Brain Injury Association of Florida (BIAF)
North Broward Medical Center
201 E. Sample Road
Pompano Beach, FL 33064
(954) 786-2400; (800) 992-3442 (in FL)
E-mail: info@biaf.org
Web: www.biaf.org

Cerebral Palsy
Gloria Wetherington, President of the Board of Directors
United Cerebral Palsy of Florida
1830 Buford Court
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 922-5630

Down Syndrome
Diane DeBraga, Director
Broward Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization
10250 NW 53rd Street
Sunrise, FL 33351
(954) 577-4122
E-mail: jmaia@aol.com
Web: www.bgcdownsyndrome.org

Epilepsy
Epilepsy Services of Southwest Florida
1900 Main Street, Suite 212
Sarasota, FL 34236-8545
(941) 953-5988
E-mail: director@seizuredisorders.org
Web: http://epilepsyservicesofswfl.org/

Joan Spainhower, Coordinator
Epilepsy Program
Florida Department of Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A-18
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1744
(850) 245-4330
E-mail: joan_spainhower@doh.state.fl.us
Web: www.doh.state.fl.us/

Learning Disabilities
Cheryl Kron, Executive Secretary
Learning Disabilities Association of Florida (LDAF)
331 E. Henry Street
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
(941) 637-8957
E-mail: ldaf00@sunline.net

Mental Health
Center for Child and Adolescent Resources
NAMI-Florida
1020 E. Lafayette, Suite 106A
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 671-4445, ext. 23
E-mail: helpline@namifl.org
Web: www.namifl.org

Mental Retardation/ Developmental Disabilities
John Hall, Executive Director
ARC/Florida
411 E. College Avenue
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 921-0460
E-mail: arcofflorida@comcast.net
Web: www.arcflorida.org

Speech and Hearing
Tina Kautter, Executive Director
Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (FLASHA)
P.O. Box 150127
Altamonte Springs, FL 32715-0127
(407) 774-7880; (800) 243-3574
E-mail: kng-assn@worldnet.att.net

Spina Bifida
Stephanie Dulac, Executive Director
Spina Bifida Association of Jacksonville Florida
807 Children's Way
Jacksonville, FL 32207
(904) 390-3686; (800) 505-KIDS
E-mail: sbaj@sbaj.org
Web: www.sbaj.org

Organizations Especially for Parents

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI)
Jan LaBelle, Executive Director
Nancy Gonsalves, Project Co-Director
Milagros Pou, Project Co-Director
Family Network on Disabilities of Florida, Inc.
Parent Education Network
2735 Whitney Road
Clearwater, FL 33760-1610
(727) 523-1130; (800) 825-5736 (In Fl only)
E-mail: fnd@fndfl.org
Web: www.fndfl.org/

Parent-To-Parent
Diane Heffernan, Director
Parent to Parent of Florida
Family Network on Disabilities of Florida, Inc.
2735 Whitney Road
Clearwater, FL 33760-1610
(727) 523-1130; (800) 825-5736 (In Fl only)
E-mail: Diane@FNDFL.org
Web: http://fndfl.org/

Community Parent Resource Center
Isabel Garcia, Executive Director
Parent to Parent of Miami, Inc.
Community Parent Resource Center
c/o Sunrise Community
9040 Sunset Drive, Suite G
Miami, FL 33173
(305) 271-9797; (800) 527-9552
E-mail: info@ptopmiami.org
Web: www.ptopmiami.org

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Pat Lancaster, President
Janice Bailey, Executive Director
Florida Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc.
1747 Orlando Central Parkway
Orlando, FL 32809-5757
(407) 855-7604
E-mail: janice@floridapta.org
Web: www.floridapta.org

Other Parent Organization
Paula Kendig, Coordinator
Parent Resource Organization
(for information and training on early intervention)
2921 Inverness Place
Pensacola, FL 32503
(850) 434-8131; (850) 206-7851 (Cell)
E-mail: PKendig@aol.com

Other Disability Organizations

Robert Griggs, President
Easter Seals Florida
2010 Mizell Avenue
Winterpark, FL 32792
(407) 629-7881
E-mail: info@fl.easter-seals.org
Web: www.easter-seals.org

Terry R. Farmer, President/CEO
Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Inc.
2475 Apalachee Parkway, Suite 205
Tallahassee, FL 32301-4946
(850) 877-4816
E-mail: tfarmer@floridaarf.org
Web: www.respectofflorida.org

Ellen Ward, Executive Director
VSA arts of Florida
3500 E. Fletcher Avenue, Suite 234
Tampa, FL 33613
(813) 558-5092
E-mail: eward@tempest.coedu.usf.edu
Web: www.vsafl.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
1916 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 209
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 525-3406; (703) 525-4153 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org

© 2003