Special Needs Email Listserves and News Listserves

Email Listserves - Interactive 2 way email listserves are great ways for you to write back and forth to other families "en masse" about issues regarding the care of your child or family member. You can receive this email whenever you want to, and can reply "or not" whenever you prefer. The great thing abou email lists is that you can gain much information about helping your child "at your fingertips" and often directly from fellow parents.

News Lists - News listserves are usually one way from a moderator to all the persons on the list, but do not allow any of the members to write directly to each other - in other words, there is no cross talk/writing. This type of list is usually used to send out information that is of interest to all participants on the list.

There are many listserves you can join from yahoogroups - you may want to "start there" to get an idea of the email listserves available across the world.

If your child has a specific diagnosis, many charities who support individuals with a particular diagnosis run some type of listserve and /or newslist for families and friends. You can check with individual charity websites for that information.

Some CT email listserves available from Yahoogroups:

ctfams
This is a list for Connecticut families who have children with disabilities or special health care needs.
Website to learn more about this email group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ctfams/
To Subscribe send an email to ctfams-subscribe@yahoogroups.com with nothing in the body of the letter.
To write to the List owner directly, email to: ctfams-owner@yahoogroups.com

Some National News (one way) email lists
that allow you to receive disability news electronically:

ADA Watch -The ADA WATCH campaign is a nonprofit informational online network designed to activate the disability community's grassroots in response to threats to civil rights protections for people with disabilities. The ADA WATCH campaign educates and informs people with disabilities, disability advocates, members of the general public, the business community, policy makers, and the media regarding threats to civil rights protections for people with disabilities. The ADA WATCH campaign seeks to build an online community of empowered citizens united against attempts to roll back civil rights protections for people with disabilities. See their website to subscribe to the ADA Watch Action Alerts

Inclusion Research Inc. - The primary purpose of the Inclusion Research Institute (IRI) is to develop, research, and disseminate educational, therapeutic, and technological innovations that enable persons of all ages, including individuals with disabilities or other disadvantages to be independent, productive and included in schools, communities, and places of employment. See their website to sign up for their Monday Morning news alert.

Voice of the Retarded News Listserve - The Mission of VOR is to unite in advocacy, educate and assist families, organizations, public officials, and individuals concerned with the quality of life and choice for persons with mental retardation within residential options including home, community residences, congregate and institutional settings. To sign up for the VOR Action Alert please write to the Executive Director Tamie Hopp at VOR@COMPUSERVE.COM

Wright's Law - Parents, advocates, educators, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, up-to-date information about effective advocacy for children with disabilities. You will find hundreds of  articles, cases, newsletters, and other information about special education law and advocacy in the Wrightslaw Advocacy and Law Libraries. Sign up for their online newsletter via their site.

FORConn - Working since 1984 For Connecticut Residents who have Mental Retardation. Contact Us!