Know Your Child

• Know your child's medical disability(ies).

• If your child is receiving special education services, know the IDEA eligibility category under which they are receiving services.

• Join and network with local disability-specific support groups.

• Contact the Guidance Department at your child’s school to determine if there is any information about community disability resources available.

Know Your Legal Rights

• Hampton City Schools

  • Policies and Procedures for Managing the Special Education Process for Hampton City Schools​

• Virginia Regulations and Policies

  • Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities in Virginia

  • Parent's Guide to Special Education

  • Your Family's Special Education Rights - Virginia Procedural Safeguards

• Federal

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 

  • Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

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• Visit

  • Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy

  • William and Mary Law School, Special Education Advocacy Law PELE Clinic

Know the Process  

• Educate yourself.  Read . . . read . . . and then read some more.  Become familiar with special education and disability laws/regulations.

• Attend *SEAC meetings, *HCS Special Education Department parent trainings, *PEATC trainings, and other relevant parent trainings/workshops.  (*All SEAC, Special Education Department, and PEATC trainings are FREE – as are many other resources.)

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• Visit

  • Hampton City Schools' Special Education Department

  • Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Special Education

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• Virginia Commonwealth University's Center for Family Involvement (Credit:  CFI)

•  A Safer Hampton Roads is a new Hampton Police Division pilot program.  Its purpose is to enhance the safety of Hampton’s citizens who have disabilities, and others who are deemed to be vulnerable.  (Credit: Hampton Police Division)

• Educational Resources for Special Needs (Credit: Caring4OurKids.com) 

• Estate Planning for Parents of Special Needs Kids (Credit: Caring4OurKids.com) 

• Home Modifications for Special Needs Kids (Credit: Caring4OurKids.com)

• Moving with Special Needs Kids (Credit: Caring4OurKids.com)

• Reduce the Noise: Help Loved Ones with Sensory Overload Enjoy Shopping (Credit: Caring4OurKids.com)

• Retail Savings Guide for People with Disabilities (Credit: CouponChief.com)

• Sesame Street Autism Resources for Parents (Credit: Caring4OurKids.com)

• Virginia Family Special Education Connection (Credit:  T/TAC)

Additional Links

• SEAC Brochure, Aug 2017

• "The Difference Between IEPs and 504 Plans" - An Understood.org article. 

• "How to Talk So Schools Will Listen (and Listen So Schools Will Talk)" - A PEATC video.

• Virginia Family Special Education Connection - One-stop shopping for parents, families and care-givers of children with disabilities in Virginia.

• Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Special Education, For Parents - There is a wealth of special education-related and disability resource information on this page that is intended to help parents.

• Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Training and Technical Assistance Center at Old Dominion University (T/TAC ODU) - A statewide network of assistance centers designed to improve educational opportunities and contribute to the success of children and youth with disabilities (birth - 22 years).

• Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), Office of Dispute Resolution and Administrative Services (ODRAS)

• Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) - This program is for active duty military families.  The EFMP works with other military and civilian agencies to provide comprehensive and coordinated medical, educational, housing, community support, and personnel services to military families who have family members with special needs.  Contact SEAC for contact information for local EFMP coordinators.

• Specialized Training of Military Parents (STOMP) - STOMP is a parent-directed program.  It exists for the purpose of empowering military parents, individuals with disabilities, and service providers with knowledge, skills, and resources so that they might access services to create a collaborative environment for family and professional partnerships without regard to geographic location.

• ABLE National Resource Center (ANRC) - This website provides information on laws, regulations, and product offerings in each state about the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act.

• The Arc of Virginia . . . for "a life like yours."

• Hampton Newport News Community Services Board (CSB) - "The Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board provides comprehensive mental health and substance abuse services and services for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, for people of all ages who live in Hampton and Newport News."

• Understood | for learning and attention issues - "Parents want the best for their children. We do, too. For the first time ever, 15 nonprofit organizations have joined forces to support parents of the one in five children with learning and attention issues throughout their journey."

• Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) - The CPIR is a central resource for Parent Training and Information (PTI) Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs), offering information and products to assist the families of children with disabilities.

• Legacy Resources from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) on CPIR - NICHCY disability-related legacy resources now housed by the CPIR.

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Special Education Alternatives

• Virginia Virtual Academy (K-12) - "The Virginia Virtual Academy is a tuition-free online public school program that uses the K12 curriculum, which is accessed via an online school as well as through more traditional methods."

• Virginia Homeschoolers

• Chesapeake Bay Academy (CBA) - "CBA is licensed by the Virginia Department of Education to operate as a private day school for students with a Specific Learning Disability (SLD), Developmental Delays (DD), Speech and Language Impairments (SLI), Autism (AUT) and Other Health Impairments (OHI)."

• Virginia Department of Education Licensed Private Day and Residential Schools, 2016-2017