New England Consortium of Deafblind Projects

Where to Start in Massachusetts?There are several organizations available for parents and families of children who are deafblind in Massachusetts.Massachusetts Deafblind Project
Regional Office
175 North Beacon Street
Watertown, MA 02472
617-972-7515 Phone
617-972-7354 Fax

Barbara Mason, Principal Investigator
617-972-7502
Barbara.Mason@perkins.org

Tracy Evans Luiselli, Project Director
617-972-7517
Tracy.Luiselli@perkins.org

Cheryl Harvey, Project Assistant
617-972-7515
nec@perkins.org

Paula LaBella-Belanger, Family Specialist

Deborah Chase-McCann, Family Network Specialist

Perkins School for the Blind
175 North Beacon Street
Watertown, MA 02472
www.perkins.org

State Agencies

State Department of Public Health Part C Agency (Birth to Age Three)
Ron Benham, Part C Coordinator | 250 Washington Street, 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02108-4619
617-624-5901 | 617-624-5927 Fax | 800-905-8437
ron.benham@state.ma.us
http://www.mass.gov/dph/earlyintervention

Massachusetts Department of Education
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street | Malden, MA 02148
781-338-3000 | 781-338-3770 Fax
Mitchell Chester, Commisioner

Massachusetts Commision for the Blind (MCB)
This agency provides a broad array of social and rehabilitative services to all legally blind residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Boston Office
48 Boylston Street | Boston Ma 02116-4718
617.727-5550 | 800.392.6450 Voice | 800.392.6556 TDD | 617.626.7685 Fax
For Driving Directions to this office please visit Mapquest.

Worcester Office
390 Main Street | Suite 620 | Worcester, Ma 01608-2111
508.754.1148 VOICE | 800.263.6944 MA Only Voice | 508.752.832 Fax
For Driving Directions to this office please visit Mapquest

Springfield Office
436 Dwight Street | Room 109 | Springfield, Ma 01103
413.781.1290 Voice | 800.332.2772 MA Only Voice | 413.746.8570 Fax
For Driving Directions to this office please visit Mapquest

New Bedford Office
800 Purchase Street | Suite 290 | New Bedford, MA 02740-6344
(508) 993-6140 VOICE | (800) 989-4411 (MASS. ONLY) VOICE | Fax: (508) 992-4147
For Driving Directions to this office please visit Mapquest

Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
Administrative Offices | 27 Wormwood Street | Boston, MA 02210-1616
800.245.6543 Voice/TDD | 617.204.3600 | 617.727.1354 Fax
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eohhs2terminal&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Government&L2=
Departments+and+Divisions&L3=Massachusetts+Rehabilitation+Commission&sid=
Eeohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=mrc_g_contactus&csid=Eeohhs2

American Printing House: www.aph.org

American Foundation for the Blind: www.afb.org

AZ of Deafblindness: www.deafblind.com

DB-Link: www.tr.wou.edu/dblink

National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments,

NAPVI: www.spedex.com/napvi

National Family Association for the Deaf-Blind, NFADB: www.NFADB.ORG

National Technical Assistance Consortium for Children and Young Adults who are Deaf-Blind, NTAC: www.tr.wou.edu/ntac
Overbrook School for the Blind: www.obs.org

PA Training and Technical Assistance Network: www.pattan.net

Parents Education Network, PEN: www.parented.org

Project Salute: www.projectsalute.net

Project SPARKLE (Supporting Parents Access to Resources, Knowledge, Linkages, and Education): www.sparkle.usu.edu

SKI*HI Institute: www.skihi.org

Fitchburg76 Summer Street - Room 330 Fitchburg, MA 01420-5785
Tel. (978) 345-1713 or (508) 792-7380 Fax (978) 343-6949 The Fitchburg MRC Office serves individuals who reside in the following towns: Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Barre, Berlin, Bolton, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Gilbertville, Groton, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, New Braintree, Oakham, Pepperell, Princeton, Rutland, Shirley, Sterling, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster, and Winchendon.

Framingham
463 Worcester Road, Suite 305 Framingham, MA 01701-5356
Phone and TDD (508) 370-4700 Fax (508) 370-4799
(Previously the Natick Office)

The Natick MRC Office serves individuals who reside in the following towns: Ashland, Dover, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lincoln, Marlborough, Maynard, Medfield, Natick, Needham, Northborough, Sherborn, Southborough, Stow, Sudbury, Wayland, Wellesley, Westborough, Weston and Westwood.

Greenfield
238 Main Street Greenfield MA 01301
Voice/TTY (413) 774-2326 Fax (413) 774-4654

This Area Office serves the following communities: Amherst, Ashfield, Athol, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Goshen, Greenfield, Hadley, Hatfield, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leydon, Monroe, Montague, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Pelham, Petersham, Philipston, Rowe, Royalston, Shelburne, Shutebury, Sunderland, Warwick, Wendell, Whately, and Williamsburg.

National/Federal Agencies

Federation for Children with Special Needs
1135 Tremont Street, Suite 420 Boston, MA 02120
800-331-0688 (MA) 617-236-7210 617-572-2094 Fax
fcsninfo@fcsn.org
http://www.fcsn.org/ The Federation is a center for parents and parent organizations to work together on behalf of children with special needs and their families. Organized in 1975 as a coalition of parent groups representing children with a variety of disabilities, the Federation operates a Parent Center in Massachusetts that offers a variety of services to parents, parent groups, and others who are concerned with children with special needs.

National Family Association for Deafblind (NFADB)
141 Middle Neck Road
Sands Point, NY 11050
800.255.0411 | 516.883.9060 Fax
NFADB@aol.com
http://www.nfadb.org/contacttxt.html

NFADB is a national network of families who focus on issues surrounding deafblindness. NFADB advocates for all persons who are deafblind, supports national policy to benefit people who are deafblind and encourages the founding and strengthening of family organizations in each state.

New England INDEX
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center
John Rochford, Director of Technology
University of Massachusetts Medical School
200 Trapelo Road | Waltham, MA 02452-6319
781-642-0255 | 781-642-0122 Fax | 800-764-0200 TTY
techinfo@neindex.org
http://www.neindex.org/contactus.html

A project of the University of Massachusetts Medical School at the Shriver Center - UMASS. INDEX is a free information and referral service for people with disabilities. INDEX is a collection of the largest, the most complete and the most up-to-date databases of disability services in Massachusetts. INDEX is the coordinator of the Massachusetts Network of Information Providers (MNIP), a collections of disability agencies that coordinate information and referral efforts. Information available includes a resource database of programs and agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities and Consultant Registry, Physician Registry and a Dental Registry. Visit the web site for more information. www.disability info.org call 800-642-0249 or 781-642-0248 or email them at: info@disabilityinfo.org

NICHCY
1825 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20009
1.800.695.0285 Toll-free, Voice/TTY | 202.884.8200 Voice/TTY | 202.884.8441 Fax
nichcy@fhi360.org
Website in English: nichcy.org
Website in Spanish: nichcy.org/espanol/

The center provides information to the nation on: disabilities in children and youth; programs and services for infants, children, and youth with disabilities; IDEA, the nation’s special education law; and research-based information on effective practices for children with disabilities. Our special focus is children and youth (birth to age 22). Anyone can use our services—families, educators, administrators, journalists, students.

Special Child: This online publication provides educational resources and support to parents and caregivers of children, adolescents, and young adults with disabilities. You can read and share stories with other parents and providers, as well as locate useful resources and products. Special Child is provided by The Resource Foundation for Children with Challenges (RFCC), a nonprofit charity organization.

ALLIANCE National Parent Technical Assistance Center (NPTAC)
PACER Center
8161 Normandale Blvd | Minneapolis, MN 55437-1044
952.838.9000 | National Toll Free 888.248.0822 | TTY 952.838.0190| Fax 952.838.0199
alliance@taalliance.org
http://www.parentcenternetwork.org/national/resources.html


		Where to Start in Massachusetts?There are several organizations available for parents and families of children who are deafblind in Massachusetts.Massachusetts Deafblind Project Regional Office 175 North Beacon Street Watertown, MA 02472 617-972-7515 Phone 617-972-7354 Fax Barbara Mason, Principal Investigator 617-972-7502 Barbara.Mason@perkins.org Tracy Evans Luiselli, Project Director 617-972-7517 Tracy.Luiselli@perkins.org Cheryl Harvey, Project Assistant 617-972-7515 nec@perkins.org Paula LaBella-Belanger, Family Specialist Deborah Chase-McCann, Family Network Specialist Perkins School for the Blind 175 North Beacon Street Watertown, MA 02472 www.perkins.org State Agencies State Department of Public Health Part C Agency (Birth to Age Three) Ron Benham, Part C Coordinator \| 250 Washington Street, 5th Floor Boston, MA 02108-4619 617-624-5901 \| 617-624-5927 Fax \| 800-905-8437 ron.benham@state.ma.us http://www.mass.gov/dph/earlyintervention Massachusetts Department of Education Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 75 Pleasant Street \| Malden, MA 02148 781-338-3000 \| 781-338-3770 Fax Mitchell Chester, Commisioner Massachusetts Commision for the Blind (MCB) This agency provides a broad array of social and rehabilitative services to all legally blind residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Boston Office 48 Boylston Street \| Boston Ma 02116-4718 617.727-5550 \| 800.392.6450 Voice \| 800.392.6556 TDD \| 617.626.7685 Fax For Driving Directions to this office please visit Mapquest. Worcester Office 390 Main Street \| Suite 620 \| Worcester, Ma 01608-2111 508.754.1148 VOICE \| 800.263.6944 MA Only Voice \| 508.752.832 Fax For Driving Directions to this office please visit Mapquest Springfield Office 436 Dwight Street \| Room 109 \| Springfield, Ma 01103 413.781.1290 Voice \| 800.332.2772 MA Only Voice \| 413.746.8570 Fax For Driving Directions to this office please visit Mapquest New Bedford Office 800 Purchase Street \| Suite 290 \| New Bedford, MA 02740-6344 (508) 993-6140 VOICE \| (800) 989-4411 (MASS. ONLY) VOICE \| Fax: (508) 992-4147 For Driving Directions to this office please visit Mapquest Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Administrative Offices \| 27 Wormwood Street \| Boston, MA 02210-1616 800.245.6543 Voice/TDD \| 617.204.3600 \| 617.727.1354 Fax http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eohhs2terminal&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Government&L2= Departments+and+Divisions&L3=Massachusetts+Rehabilitation+Commission&sid= Eeohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=mrc_g_contactus&csid=Eeohhs2 Deafblind Resource Guide for Massachusetts American Printing House: www.aph.org American Foundation for the Blind: www.afb.org AZ of Deafblindness: www.deafblind.com DB-Link: www.tr.wou.edu/dblink National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments, NAPVI: www.spedex.com/napvi National Family Association for the Deaf-Blind, NFADB: www.NFADB.ORG National Technical Assistance Consortium for Children and Young Adults who are Deaf-Blind, NTAC: www.tr.wou.edu/ntac Overbrook School for the Blind: www.obs.org PA Training and Technical Assistance Network: www.pattan.net Parents Education Network, PEN: www.parented.org Project Salute: www.projectsalute.net Project SPARKLE (Supporting Parents Access to Resources, Knowledge, Linkages, and Education): www.sparkle.usu.edu SKIHI Institute: www.skihi.org Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)* We assist individuals of all disabilities to go to work. If you are unemployed or underemployed, you may be able to benefit from vocational services. All VR consumers must reside in Massachusetts and be eligible to work in the United States Brockton 55 City Hall Plaza Brockton, MA 02301 Telephone: (508) 583-1530 Fax: (508) 427-5788 Relay (800) 439-0183 The Brockton Area Office serves the following communities: Abington, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Holbrook, Rockland, Sharon, Stoughton, West Bridgewater and Whitman. Brookline 320 Washington Street Brookline, MA 02445 Voice / TTY (617) 739-9080 Fax (617) 232-9256 The Brookline MRC Office serves individuals who reside in the following towns: Allston, Brighton, Brookline, Jamaica Plain, Newton, Roslindale and West Roxbury. Boston 59 Temple Place, Suite 905 Boston, MA 02111 Tel. (617) 357-8137 Fax (617) 482-5576 This Area Office serves the following communities: Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Boston, Charlestown, Chelsea, Dedham, Dorchester, East Boston, Kenmore Square, North End, Revere, South Boston, West End, and Winthrop. Cape and the Islands 181 North Street Hyannis, MA 02601 (508) 775-6173 TTY Number: (508) 771-9191 Fax Number: (508) 790-4926 This Area Office serves the following communities: Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Cataumet, Centerville, Chatham, Chilmark, Chilton, Cotuit, Dennis, Dennisport, East Sandwich, Eastham, Edgartown, Falmouth, Forestdale, Gayhead, Gosnold, Harwich, Mashpee, Monument Beach, Nantucket, Oak Bluffs, Orleans, Osterville, Provincetown, Sandwich, Tisbury, Truro, Wellfleet, West Tisbury, and Yarmouth. Fall River 170 Pleasant Street, Room 300 Fall River, MA 02721- 3015 Voice/TTY (508)-678-9041 FAX (508) 676-2734 The Fall River Area Office serves the following: Assonet, Fall River, East Freetown, Freetown, Somerset, Swansea, and Westport.Special ServicesEscritório de Fall River Reabilitacao Voctional de services na sua lingua nativa Conhecimento de assuntos culturais Advocacia e trabalho em conjunto na communida Portuguesa Fitchburg76 Summer Street - Room 330 Fitchburg, MA 01420-5785 Tel. (978) 345-1713 or (508) 792-7380 Fax (978) 343-6949 The Fitchburg MRC Office serves individuals who reside in the following towns: Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Barre, Berlin, Bolton, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Gilbertville, Groton, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, New Braintree, Oakham, Pepperell, Princeton, Rutland, Shirley, Sterling, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster, and Winchendon. Framingham 463 Worcester Road, Suite 305 Framingham, MA 01701-5356 Phone and TDD (508) 370-4700 Fax (508) 370-4799 (Previously the Natick Office) The Natick MRC Office serves individuals who reside in the following towns: Ashland, Dover, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lincoln, Marlborough, Maynard, Medfield, Natick, Needham, Northborough, Sherborn, Southborough, Stow, Sudbury, Wayland, Wellesley, Westborough, Weston and Westwood. Greenfield 238 Main Street Greenfield MA 01301 Voice/TTY (413) 774-2326 Fax (413) 774-4654 This Area Office serves the following communities: Amherst, Ashfield, Athol, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Goshen, Greenfield, Hadley, Hatfield, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leydon, Monroe, Montague, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Pelham, Petersham, Philipston, Rowe, Royalston, Shelburne, Shutebury, Sunderland, Warwick, Wendell, Whately, and Williamsburg. National/Federal Agencies Federation for Children with Special Needs 1135 Tremont Street, Suite 420 Boston, MA 02120 800-331-0688 (MA) 617-236-7210 617-572-2094 Fax fcsninfo@fcsn.org http://www.fcsn.org/ The Federation is a center for parents and parent organizations to work together on behalf of children with special needs and their families. Organized in 1975 as a coalition of parent groups representing children with a variety of disabilities, the Federation operates a Parent Center in Massachusetts that offers a variety of services to parents, parent groups, and others who are concerned with children with special needs. Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults Mary Ellen Barbiasz 781.259.7100 \| 516.944.8637 TTY \| 866.596.8748 \| 516.570.3614 Videophone \| 516.944.7302 Fax HKNC1meb@comcast.net hkncinfo@hknc.org http://www.hknc.org/org Helen Keller is the only agency that provides vocational and rehabilitation services on a national basis exclusively to youths and adults who are deaf-blind. For more information on programs and services in New England contact National Family Association for Deafblind (NFADB) 141 Middle Neck Road Sands Point, NY 11050 800.255.0411 \| 516.883.9060 Fax NFADB@aol.com http://www.nfadb.org/contacttxt.html NFADB is a national network of families who focus on issues surrounding deafblindness. NFADB advocates for all persons who are deafblind, supports national policy to benefit people who are deafblind and encourages the founding and strengthening of family organizations in each state. New England INDEX Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center John Rochford, Director of Technology University of Massachusetts Medical School 200 Trapelo Road \| Waltham, MA 02452-6319 781-642-0255 \| 781-642-0122 Fax \| 800-764-0200 TTY techinfo@neindex.org http://www.neindex.org/contactus.html A project of the University of Massachusetts Medical School at the Shriver Center - UMASS. INDEX is a free information and referral service for people with disabilities. INDEX is a collection of the largest, the most complete and the most up-to-date databases of disability services in Massachusetts. INDEX is the coordinator of the Massachusetts Network of Information Providers (MNIP), a collections of disability agencies that coordinate information and referral efforts. Information available includes a resource database of programs and agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities and Consultant Registry, Physician Registry and a Dental Registry. Visit the web site for more information. www.disability info.org call 800-642-0249 or 781-642-0248 or email them at: info@disabilityinfo.org NICHCY 1825 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20009 1.800.695.0285 Toll-free, Voice/TTY \| 202.884.8200 Voice/TTY \| 202.884.8441 Fax nichcy@fhi360.org Website in English: nichcy.org Website in Spanish: nichcy.org/espanol/ The center provides information to the nation on: disabilities in children and youth; programs and services for infants, children, and youth with disabilities; IDEA, the nation’s special education law; and research-based information on effective practices for children with disabilities. Our special focus is children and youth (birth to age 22). Anyone can use our services—families, educators, administrators, journalists, students. Special Child: This online publication provides educational resources and support to parents and caregivers of children, adolescents, and young adults with disabilities. You can read and share stories with other parents and providers, as well as locate useful resources and products. Special Child is provided by The Resource Foundation for Children with Challenges (RFCC), a nonprofit charity organization. ALLIANCE National Parent Technical Assistance Center (NPTAC) PACER Center 8161 Normandale Blvd \| Minneapolis, MN 55437-1044 952.838.9000 \| National Toll Free 888.248.0822 \| TTY 952.838.0190\| Fax 952.838.0199 alliance@taalliance.org http://www.parentcenternetwork.org/national/resources.html Region One: Northeast Parent Center Assistance and Collaboration Team (NE-PACT) 35 Halsey Street, 4th Floor \| Newark, NJ 07102 973.642.8100 \| 973.642.8080 Fax \| 800.654.7726 Toll Free PTAC@SPAN http://www.parentcenternetwork.org/region1/aboutus.html northeastern states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island , and Vermont Offers technical assistance for OSEP-funded Parent Centers to enhance their capacity to provide effective services for families of children with special needs and to work effectively with state agencies in improving services for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities in their communities and states.
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