A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Iowa State Resources

Complete update · 6/2007
Partial update · 1/3/2008

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.

State Agencies and Organizations

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.

United States Senators
Honorable Charles E. Grassley (R)
135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3744
(202) 224-6020 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form:http://grassley.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Web: http://grassley.senate.gov

Honorable Tom Harkin (D)
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3254
(202) 224-9369 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://harkin.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
Web: http://harkin.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) 225-3121; (202) 225-1904 (TTY).

Governor
Honorable Chet Culver
Office of the Governor
State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-5211
(515) 281-6611 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: www.governor.iowa.gov/administration/contact/
Web: www.governor.state.ia.us

Official State Web Site
Web: www.iowa.gov/state/main/index.html

State Department of Education: Special Education
Lana Michelson, Bureau Chief
Student and Family Support Services
Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
(515) 281-5735
E-mail: Lana.Michelson@iowa.gov
Web: www.state.ia.us/educate/

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Pam Pfitzenmaier, Division Administrator
Early Childhood Elementary and Secondary Education
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
(515) 281-3333
E-mail: pam.pfitzenmaier@iowa.gov
Web: www.state.ia.us/educate

Early Intervention System, Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2
Julie Curry, State Coordinator
Early ACCESS (IDEA, Part C)
Bureau of Early Childhood
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building, 3rd Floor
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
(515) 281-5437
(800) 779-2001 (inquiries/referrals to early intervention)
E-mail: Julie.Curry@iowa.gov
Web: www.state.ia.us/earlyaccess

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages Birth Through 5
Mary Schertz, Consultant
Bureau of Children, Family and Community Services
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
(515) 281-5433
E-mail: Mary.Schertz@iowa.gov
Web: www.iowa.gov/educate

State Vocational Rehabilitation
Stephen A. Wooderson, Administrator
Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Department of Education
510 E. 12th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-6731; (800) 532-1486
E-mail: stephen.wooderson@iowa.gov
Web: www.ivrs.iowa.gov

Coordinator for Transition Services
Barbara Guy, State Transition Coordinator
Transition and Work Experience
Bureau of Family and Student Support Services
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
400 E. 14th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
(515) 281-5265
E-mail: Barbara.Guy@iowa.gov
Web: www.state.ia.us/educate/

Office of State Coordinator of Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities
Dr. Jan Friedel, Administrator
Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation
Bureau of Community Colleges & Career and Technical Education
Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
(515) 281-8260
E-mail: stephanie.weeks@iowa.gov
Web: www.state.ia.us/educate/

Employment Rights for People with Disabilities
Jill Avery, Administrator
Division of Persons with Disabilities
Department of Human Rights
Lucas State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319
(888) 219-0471 (V/TTY)
E-mail: dhr.disabilities@iowa.gov
Web: www.state.ia.us/dhr/

State Mental Health Agency
Allen W. Parks, Ed.D., Administrator
State Mental Health Agency/State DD Program
Division of Mental Health and Disability Services
Department of Human Services
Hoover State Office Building, 5th Floor
1305 E. Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-0114
(515) 281-0377
E-mail: aparks@dhs.state.ia.us
Web: www.dhs.state.ia.us

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth
Mary Mohrhauser, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Specialist
State Mental Health Agency/State DD Program
Mental Health and Disabilities Services
Department of Human Services
Hoover State Office Building, 5th Floor
1305 E. Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-0114
(515) 242-6845
E-mail: mmohrha@dhs.state.ia.us
Web: www.dhs.state.ia.us

Councils on Developmental Disabilities
Becky Harker, Executive Director
Governor's Developmental Disabilities Council
617 E. Second Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 281-9083
E-mail: bharker@dhs.state.ia.us
Web: www.state.ia.us/government/ddcouncil/

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Sylvia Piper, Executive Director
Iowa Protection and Advocacy Services, Inc.
950 Office Park Road, Suite 221
West Des Moines, IA 50265
(515) 278-2502; (800) 779-2502
(515) 278-0571 (TTY); (866) 483-3342 (TTY)
E-mail: info@ipna.org
Web: www.ipna.org

Client Assistance Program
Jackie Witterman, Consultant
Department of Human Rights
Division of Persons with Disability
Client Assistance Program
Capitol Complex, Lucas Building
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-3656; (800) 652-4298 (V/TTY)
E-mail: jackie.witterman@iowa.gov

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Jeffrey G. Lobas, M.D., Director
Iowa Child Health Specialty Clinics
100 Hawkins Drive, Room 247
Iowa City, IA 52242-1011
(319) 356-1118; (866) 219-9119
E-mail: jeffrey-lobas@uiowa.edu
Web: www.uihealthcare.com/chsc

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
hawk-i Program
P.O. Box 71336
Des Moines, IA 50325-9958
(800) 257-8563
Web: www.hawk-i.org/

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired or Deaf-Blind
Allen C. Harris, Director
Iowa Department for the Blind
524 Fourth Street
Des Moines, IA 50309-2364
(515) 281-1333; (515) 281-1355 (TTY)
E-mail: harris.allen@blind.state.ia.us
Web: www.blind.state.ia.us

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing - Junior Commission Program
Kathryn Baumann-Reese, Administrator
Deaf Services Commission of Iowa
Iowa Department of Human Rights
Lucas State Office Building, 2nd Floor
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-3164 (V/TTY); (888) 221-3724 (V/TTY)
E-mail: dhr.dsci@iowa.gov
Web: http://www.state.ia.us/government/dhr/ds/Webpages/NEW.JCP.htm

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 735-2943 (V)
(800) 735-2942 (V/TTY); 711 (TTY)
(877) 735-1007 (Speech to Speech)

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center
Jim de Jong, Director
ADA and I.T. Center
DBTAC - Great Plains ADA Center
University of Missouri/Columbia
100 Corporate Lake Drive
Columbia, MO 65203
(573) 882-3600 (V/TTY); (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: ada@missouri.edu
Web: www.adaproject.org

University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Robert Bacon, M.A., Director
Iowa's University Center for Excellence on Disabilities
Center for Disabilities and Development
100 Hawkins Drive
Iowa City, IA 52242
(319) 356-1335
E-mail: robert-bacon@uiowa.edu
Web: www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/cdd/index.asp

Technology-Related Assistance
Jane Gay, Director
Iowa Program for Assistive Technology
Center for Disabilities and Development
The University of Iowa
100 Hawkins Drive, S295
Iowa City, IA 52242-1011
(319) 353-8777; (800) 331-3027 (V)
(877) 686-0032 (TTY)
E-mail: iowa-compass@uiowa.edu
Web: www.uiowa.edu/infotech/

State Mediation System
Dee Ann Wilson, Consultant
Department of Education
Bureau of Children, Family and Community Services
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-5766
E-mail: DeeAnn.Wilson@iowa.gov
Web: www.state.ia.us/educate

Special Format Library
Karen Keninger, Librarian
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Iowa Department for the Blind
524 Fourth Street
Des Moines, IA 50309-2364
(515) 281-1333; (800) 362-2587
(515) 281-1355 (TTY)
E-mail: keninger.karen@blind.state.ia.us
Web: www.blind.state.ia.us/library/

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 150
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 19464-0543
(484) 945-2101
E-mail: mail@add.org
Web: www.add.org

Autism
To identify an autism group in your state, contact:
Autism Society of America
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 657-0881; (800) 3-AUTISM
Web: www.autism-society.org

Blind/Visual Impairments
Jaclyn Packer, Ph.D., Director of Information Center
American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
(212) 502-7600; (800) 232-5463
E-mail: afbinfo@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Brain Injury
Geoffrey Lauer, Executive Director
Brain Injury Association of Iowa
2101 Kimball Avenue, LL7
Waterloo, IA 50702
(319) 272-2312; (800) 475-4442
E-mail: glauer@biaia.org
Web: www.biaia.org

Cerebral Palsy
Brigitte Van Nice, Director
The Arc of Cedar Valley
760 Ansborough Avenue
P.O. Box 4090
Waterloo, IA 50704
(319) 232-0437
E-mail: arccv@episervice.org
Web: www.cedarnet.org/arccv

Epilepsy
Victor Verni, Executive Director
Epilepsy Foundation North/Central Illinois, Iowa & Nebraska
321 W. State Street Suite 208
Rockford, IL 61101-1119
(815) 964-2689; (800) 221-2689
E-mail: efncil@efncil.org
Web: www.epilepsyfoundation.org/ncillinois/

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Brigitte Van Nice, Director
The Arc of Cedar Valley
760 Ansborough Avenue
P.O. Box 4090
Waterloo, IA 50704
(319) 232-0437
E-mail: arccv@episervice.org
Web: www.cedarnet.org/arccv

Casey Westhoff, Executive Director
The Arc of Iowa
P.O. Box 1096
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406
(515) 210-6686; (800) 362-2927
E-mail: arcia@arceci.org
Web: http://thearcofiowa.org

Learning Disabilities
Kathy Specketer, State Coordinator
Learning Disabilities Association of Iowa
321 E. Sixth Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 280-8558; (888) 690-5324
E-mail: kathylda@askresource.org
Web: www.lda-ia.org

Mental Health
Lori Reynolds, Executive Director
Iowa Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health
106 S. Booth
Anamosa, IA 52205
(319) 462-2187; (888) 400-6302
E-mail: lori@iffcmh.org
Web: www.iffcmh.org

Margaret Stout, Executive Director
Jacqueline Elfmann, Visions for Tomorrow State Coordinator
NAMI IOWA
5911 Meredith Drive, Suite E
Des Moines, IA 50322-1903
(515) 254-0417; (800) 417-0417
E-mail: namiiowa@mchsi.com
E-mail: jkelfmann@namiiowa.com
Web: www.namiiowa.org

Speech, Language, and Hearing
LeAnn Ely, Executive Director
Iowa Speech-Language-Hearing Association
525 S.W. Fifth Street, Suite A
Des Moines, IA 50309-4501
(515) 282-8192
E-mail: leann@isha.org
Web: www.isha.org

Special Health Care Needs
Paula S. Connolly, Project Director
Health Information Center of Iowa
321 E. 6th Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 243-1713; (800) 450-8667
(800) 735-2942 (Relay in IA)
E-mail: f2finfo@askresource.org
Web: www.askresource.org

Spina Bifida
Rod Tressel, President
Spina Bifida Association of Iowa
P.O. Box 1456
Des Moines, IA 50305
(515) 964-8810
E-mail: SpinaBifidaIowa@yahoo.com
Web: www.spinabifidaia.com

Tourette Syndrome
Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc.
42-40 Bell Boulevard
Bayside, NY 11361-2820
(718) 224-2999
E-mail: ts@tsa-usa.org
Web: www.tsa-usa.org

Organizations Especially for Parents

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI)
Susan E. Myers, Executive Director
ASK (Access For Special Kids Resource Center)
321 E. 6th Street
Des Moines, IA 50039-1903
(515) 243-1713; (800) 450-8667
E-mail: info@askresource.org
Web: www.askresource.org

Parent-To-Parent
ASK (Access For Special Kids Resource Center)
321 E. 6th Street
Des Moines, IA 50039-1903
(515) 243-1713; (800) 450-8667
E-mail: info@askresource.org
Web: www.askresource.org/find.shtml

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Johanna Bobenhouse, President
Iowa PTA
8345 University Boulevard, Suite F-1
Des Moines, IA 50325
(515) 225-4197; (800) 475-4782
E-mail: ia_office@pta.org
Web: www.iowapta.org

Parent Educator Connection
(see listing under “Other Disability Organizations”)

Other Disability Organizations

Donna K. Elbrecht, President/CEO
Easter Seals Iowa
P.O. Box 4002
Des Moines, IA 50333-4002
(515) 289-1933; (515) 289-4069 (TTY)
E-mail: info@eastersealsia.org
Web: www.eastersealsia.org

Jane Gay, Director
Iowa Compass: Information and Referral
Center for Disabilities and Development
The University of Iowa
100 Hawkins Drive #295
Iowa City, IA 52242-1011
(319) 353-8777; (800) 779-2001
(877) 686-0032 (TTY)
E-mail: iowa-compass@uiowa.edu
Web: www.iowacompass.org

Deb Samson, Parent Coordinator
Parent Educator Connection
Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
(515) 242-5295
E-mail: deb.samson@iowa.gov

Stephanie Jessen, Executive Director
VSA arts of Iowa
Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
(515) 281-5839
E-mail: steph.dunker@iowa.gov
Web: www.state.ia.us/educate/vsa/index.html

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
1710 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 207-0334 (V); (202) 207-0340 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org

This information is copyright free. Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY).
NICHCY State Resources are listings of selected state-wide organizations that can refer people to organizations in their area. We update our state resources continuously; however, the addresses and telephone numbers of these selected groups are constantly changing. 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.
Publication of this document is made possible through a Cooperative Agreement between the Academy for Educational Development and the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.	NICHCY P.O. Box 1492 Washington, DC 20013 (800) 695-0285 · v/tty (202) 884-8441 · fax e-mail: nichcy@aed.org web: www.nichcy.org