Pennsylvania State Disability Resources

Complete update - 11/2007
Partial update - 2/25/2008

The offices listed on this state sheet are primarily state-level offices. Even if an office is not close to your home, they can usually put you in touch with resources in your community, as well as provide you with information and assistance about disability issues in your state. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.

Age of Eligibility

Each state sets eligibility ages for services to children and youth with disabilities. For current information concerning this state, please contact the office listed under Department of Education: Special Education.

State Agencies and Organizations

United States Senators
Honorable Arlen Specter (R)
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4254
(202) 228-1229 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
Web: http://specter.senate.gov/

Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D)
383 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6324
(202) 228-0604 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://casey.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Web: http://casey.senate.gov/

United States Representatives
To find the contact information for your representative in the House of the U.S. Congress, visit the HouseÕs Web site at: www.house.gov, or call: (202) 225-3121; (202) 225-1904 (TTY).

Governor
Honorable Edward G. Rendell
225 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 787-2500
E-mail Web Form: http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Governor/govmail.html
Web: www.governor.state.pa.us/

Official State Web Site
Web: www.state.pa.us/

Accessible Pennsylvania
Online Disability Resource for Pennsylvanians
Web: www.accessiblepa.state.pa.us

State Department of Education: Special Education
John J. Tommasini, Director
Bureau of Special Education
Department of Education
333 Market Street, 7th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
(717) 783-6913
Special Education Consultline: (800) 879-2301(V/TTY)
Web: www.pde.state.pa.us

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Shula Nedley, Director
Bureau of Assessment and Accountability
Department of Education
333 Market Street, 9th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
(717) 705-2343
Web: www.pde.state.pa.us

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2
Maureen Cronin, Director
Bureau of Early Intervention Services
Office of Child Development and Early Learning
Department of Education and Public Welfare
333 Market Street, 6th Floor, PDE Building
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
(717) 783-7213
E-mail: mcronin@state.pa.us

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Shatarupa Podder, Acting Chief
Bureau of Early Intervention Services
Office of Child Development and Early Learning
Department of Education and Public Welfare
333 Market Street, 7th Floor, PDE Building
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
(717) 787-9266
E-mail: spodder@state.pa.us
Web: www.pde.state.pa.us

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
William A. Gannon, Executive Director
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Labor and Industry
1521 N. 6th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 787-7312
E-mail: wgannon@state.pa.us
Web: www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=128&Q=168255&dsftns=4490

Coordinator for Transition Services
James Palmiero, Managing Director
Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PATTAN)
3190 William Pitt Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
(412) 826-6850; (800) 446-5607
E-mail: jpalmiero@pattan.net
Web: www.pattan.net

Office of State Liaison of Career and Technical Education for Students with Disabilities
Lee Burket, Director
Bureau of Career and Technical Education
Division of Field Support
Department of Education
333 Market Street, 11th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
(717) 787-5530
E-mail: lburket@state.pa.us
Web: www.pde.state.pa.us

State Mental Health Agency
Joan Erney, Deputy Secretary
Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Department of Public Welfare
P.O. Box 2675
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675
(717) 787-6443
E-mail: joerney@state.pa.us
Web: www.dpw.state.pa.us

State Mental Health Representative for Children's Behavioral Health Services
Stanley J. Mrozowski, Ph.D., Director
Bureau of Children's Services
Beechmont Building
P.O. Box 2675
Harrisburg, PA 17105
(717) 772-7763
E-mail: smrozowski@state.pa.us

Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities
Kevin Casey, Deputy Secretary
Office of Developmental Program
Department of Public Welfare
Health and Welfare Building, Room 502
P.O. Box 2675
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675
(717) 787-3700
Web: www.dpw.state.pa.us

Councils on Developmental Disabilities
Graham Mulholland, Executive Director
Developmental Disabilities Council
561 Forum Building, Commonwealth Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 787-6057
E-mail: gmulhollan@dpw.state.pa.us
Web: www.paddc.org

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania
1414 N. Cameron Street, Suite C
Harrisburg, PA 17103
(717) 236-8110; (800) 692-7443 (in PA)
(877) 375-7139 (TTY)
E-mail: drnpa@drnpa.org
Web: www.drnpa.org

Client Assistance Program
Stephen Pennington, Statewide Director
Pennsylvania Client Assistance Program
1617 JFK Boulevard, Suite 800
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 557-7112 (V/TTY)
E-mail: info@equalemployment.org
Web: www.equalemployment.org

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Michelle L. Connors, Director
Division of Community Systems Development and Outreach
Division of Child and Adult Health Services
Department of Health, 7th Floor, East Wing
Health & Welfare Building
7th & Forster Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 772-2763
(800) 986-4550 - Special Kids Networks
E-mail: mconnors@state.pa.us
Web: www.state.pa.us

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program
1011 Mumma Road
Wormleysburg, PA 17043
(800) 986-5437
Web: www.ins.state.pa.us

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired
David De Notaris, Director
Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Labor and Industry
1521 N. 6th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 787-6176; (800) 622-2842 (in PA)
E-mail: ddenotaris@state.pa.us
Web: www.state.pa.us

Programs for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Sharon Behun, Director
Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
1521 N. 6th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 783-4912 V/TTY
(800) 233-3008 (V/TTY in PA only)
E-mail: ra-li-ovr-odhh@state.pa.us
Web: www.dli.state.pa.us/odhh

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 654-5988 (V)
(800) 654-5984 (TTY); 711 (TTY)
(800) 229-5746 (Speech to Speech - English)
(866) 260-9470 (Speech to Speech - Spanish)

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind
Julie Baumgartner, Consultant
Pennsylvania Deaf-Blind Project
6340 Flank Drive, Suite 600
Harrisburg, PA 17112-2764
(717) 541-4960, ext. 3115; (800) 360-7282 (in PA only)
Web: www.pattan.net

State Education Agency Rural Representative
Bureau of Special Education
Department of Education
333 Market Street, 7th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
(717) 783-6913
Web: www.pde.state.pa.us

Regional ADA Technical Assistance Center
Marian Vessels, Director
DBTAC: Mid-Atlantic ADA Center
TransCen, Inc.
451 Hungerford Drive, Suite 700
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 217-0124 (V/TTY)
(800) 949-4232 (V/TTY - DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV)
E-mail: adainfo@transcen.org
Web: www.adainfo.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Diane Nelson Bryen, Executive Director
Institute on Disabilities at Temple University - UCEDD
University Services Building, Suite 610
1601 N. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 204-1356 (V/TTY)
E-mail: dianeb@temple.edu
Web: http://disabilities.temple.edu

Nathan Blum, M.D., Director
Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND)
Children's Seashore House of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
3405 Civic Center Boulevard, Room 210
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4388
(215) 590-7466
E-mail: blum@email.chop.edu

Technology-Related Assistance
Amy S. Goldman, Associate Director
Pennsylvania's Initiative on Assistive Technology
Institute on Disabilities/UCEDD
1601 N. Broad Street, Suite 610
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 204-1356 (V/TTY); (800) 204-PIAT (V, in PA)
(866) 268-0579 (TTY, in PA)
E-mail: ATINFO@temple.edu
Web: http://disabilities.temple.edu

State Mediation System
Jill Lichty, Coordinator
Office for Dispute Resolution
6340 Flank Drive, Suite 600
Harrisburg, PA 17112
(717) 541-4960
Web: http://odr.pattan.net

Special Format Library
Vickie L. Collins, Librarian
Free Library of Philadelphia
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
919 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 683-3213; 800-222-1754
E-mail: flpblind@library.phila.gov
Web: http://lbph.library.phila.gov/