NICHCY > State Resources : Massachusetts

A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Massachusetts State Resources

Complete update · 7/2007
Partial update · 1/25/2008

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.

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 Edward M. Kennedy (D)
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4543
(202) 224-2417 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://kennedy.senate.gov/senator/contact.cfm
Web: http://kennedy.senate.gov

Honorable John F. Kerry (D)
304 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2742
(202) 224-8525 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://kerry.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Web: http://kerry.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 Deval Patrick
Office of the Governor
State House, Room 360
Boston, MA 02133
(617) 725-6250
(617) 727-9725 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3utilities&sid=Agov3&U=Agov3_contact_us
Web: http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3homepage&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Agov3

Official State Web Site
Web: www.mass.gov

State Department of Education: Special Education
Marcia Mittnacht, Director
Special Education Planning and Policy Development Office
Department of Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148-5023
(781) 338-3000; (781) 338-3388
E-mail: mmmittnacht@doe.mass.edu
Web: www.doe.mass.edu/sped

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Matthew Pakos, Manager
Office of Accountability and Targeted Assistance
Massachusetts Department of Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148
(781) 338-3507
E-mail: ayp@doe.mass.edu
Web: www.doe.mass.edu

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2
Ron Benham, Director
Division for Perinatal, Early Childhood and Special Health Needs
Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 624-5901
(800) 905-8437 (Early Intervention Programs)
E-mail: ron.benham@state.ma.us
Web: www.mass.gov/dph/

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Ann Reale, Commissioner
Early Education and Care
51 Sleeper Street
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 988-6600
Web: www.eec.state.ma.us

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
Fort Point Place
27 Wormwood Street
Boston, MA 02210-1616
(617) 204-3600; (800) 245-6543 (in MA only)
Web: www.mass.gov/mrc/

Coordinator for Transition Services
Madeline Levine, Assistant Director of Special Education
Special Education Planning and Policy Development Office
Massachusetts Department of Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148
(781) 338-3375
Web: www.doe.mass.edu/sped/

State Department of Education:
Career and Technical Education Programs for Special Populations
Ramona Foster, Education Specialist
Career and Technical Education
Department of Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148-5023
(781) 338-3910
Web: www.doe.mass.edu

State Mental Health Agency
Elizabeth Childs, M.D., Commissioner
Department of Mental Health
25 Staniford Street
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 626-8123
E-mail: elizabeth.childs@state.ma.us
Web: www.mass.gov/dmh

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth
Joan Mikula, Assistant Commissioner
Child and Adolescent Services
Department of Mental Health
25 Staniford Street
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 626-8086
E-mail: joan.mikula@dmh.state.ma.us
Web: www.mass.gov/dmh

Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities
Elin Howe, Commissioner
Department of Mental Retardation
500 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 727-5608
Web: www.mass.gov/dmr

Councils on Developmental Disabilities
Daniel Shannon, Executive Director
Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council
1150 Hancock Street, Suite 300
Quincy, MA 02169
(617) 770-7676, ext. 100; (617) 770-9499 (TTY)
E-mail: Dan.Shannon@state.ma.us
Web: www.mass.gov/mddc

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Stanley J. Eichner, Executive Director
Disability Law Center, Inc.
11 Beacon Street, Suite 925
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 723-8455; (800) 872-9992 (V)
(617) 227-9464 (TTY); (800) 381-0577 (TTY)
E-mail: mail@dlc-ma.org
Web: www.dlc-ma.org/

Client Assistance Program
Barbara Lybarger, Director
Client Assistance Program
Massachusetts Office on Disability
One Ashburton Place, Room 1305
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 727-7440; (800) 322-2020 (V/TTY)
E-mail barbara.lybarger@state.ma.us
Web: www.mass.gov/mod

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
MassHealth Enrollment Center
Central Processing Unit
P.O. Box 129124
Boston, MA 02112-9124
(888) 665-9993; (888) 665-9997 (TTY)
Web: www.mass.gov/dma

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired or Deaf-Blind
Sandra Daly, Director
Children's Services
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
48 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 626-7480; (800) 392-6450
(617) 626-7650 (TTY)
Web: www.mass.gov/mcb

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Heidi Reed, Commissioner
Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
150 Mt. Vernon Street, Suite 550
Dorchester, MA 02125
(617) 740-1600; (617) 740-1700 (TTY)
E-mail: MCDHH.office@state.ma.us
Web: www.mass.gov/mcdhh

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 439-0183 (V)
(800) 439-2370 (TTY); 711 (TTY)
(800) 439-0183 (Speech to Speech)

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center
Valerie Fletcher, Executive Director
Oce Harrison, Project Director
DBTAC - New England ADA Center
Adaptive Environments Center, Inc.
180-200 Portland Street, First Floor
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 695-1225 (V/TTY); (800) 949-4232 V/TTY)
E-mail: adainfo@newenglandada.org
Web: http://adaptiveenvironments.org/neada/site/home

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
William E. Kiernan, Ph.D., Director
Institute for Community Inclusion/UCEDD
UMass Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
(617) 287-4300; (617) 287-4350 (TTY)
E-mail: ici@umb.edu
Web: www.communityinclusion.org

William McIlvane, Director
Charles Hamad, Associate Center Director
UMASS Medical School - E.K. Shriver Center
200 Trapelo Road
Waltham, MA 02452-6319
(781) 642-0001; (800) 764-0200 (TTY)
E-mail: william.mcilvane@umassmed.edu
Web: www.umassmed.edu/shriver

State Mediation System
Marc Sevigny, Coordinator
Bureau of Special Education Appeals
Department of Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148
(781) 338-6443
E-mail: msevigny@doe.mass.edu
Web: www.doe.mass.edu/bsea

Special Format Library
Kim Charlson, Director
Braille and Talking Book Library
Perkins School for the Blind
175 N. Beacon Street
Watertown, MA 02472
(617) 972-7240; (800) 852-3133
E-mail: library@perkins.org
Web: www.perkinslibrary.org

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
Web: www.add.org

Autism
Autism Society of America - Massachusetts Chapter
c/o Autism Services Association
47 Walnut Street
Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
(781) 237-0272, ext. 17
E-mail: asamasschapter@hotmail.com
Web: www.geocities.com/asamasschapter

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

Judy Westgate, President/Treasurer
Massachusetts Association of Parents of the Visually Impaired Children (MAPVI)
22 Old Marlboro Road
Maynard, MA 01754
(978) 897-3005
E-mail: judywestgate@comcast.net

Brain Injury
Arlene Korab, Executive Director
Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts
30 Lyman Street, Suite 10
Westborough, MA 01581
(508) 475-0032; (800) 242-0030 (in MA)
E-mail: biama@biama.org
Web: www.biama.org

Cerebral Palsy
Todd Kates, Executive Director
United Cerebral Palsy of MetroBoston, Inc.
71 Arsenal Street
Watertown, MA 02472
(617) 926-5480
E-mail: ucpboston@ucpboston.org
Web: www.ucpboston.org

Down Syndrome
Charlie Gadbois, President
Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress
P.O. Box 866
Melrose, MA 02176
(508) 278-7769; (800) 664-6372
E-mail: mdsc@mdsc.org
Web: www.MDSC.org

Epilepsy
Barbara Davis, Information & Referral Coordinator
Epilepsy Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Programs and Services Office
540 Gallivan Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02124
(617) 506-6041; (888) 576-9996
E-mail: bdavis@efmri.org
Web: www.epilepsymassri.org

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Leo Sarkissian, Executive Director
The Arc of Massachusetts
217 South Street
Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 891-6270
E-mail: arcmass@arcmass.org
Web: www.arcmass.org

Learning Disabilities
Teresa Citro, Executive Director
Learning Disabilities Worldwide
P.O. Box 142
Weston, MA 02493
(781) 890-5399
Web: www.ldworldwide.org

Mental Health
Laurie Martinelli, Executive Director
NAMI Massachusetts
400 W. Cummings Park, Suite 6650
Woburn, MA 01801
(781) 938-4048; (800) 370-9085
E-mail: namimass@aol.com
Web: www.namimass.org

Lisa Lambert, Director
Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PAL)
45 Bromfield Street, 10th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 542-7860; (866) 815-8122
E-mail: info@ppal.net
Web: www.ppal.net

Terri Angelone, Executive Director
Greater Boston Arc
221 N. Beacon Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02135
(617) 783-3900, ext. 20
E-mail: tangelone@arcgb.org
Web: www.arcgb.org

Michael Andrade, Executive Director
The Arc of Northern Bristol County
141 Park Street
Attleboro, MA 02703
(508) 226-1445; (888) 343-3301
E-mail: mandrade@arcnbc.org
Web: www.arcnbc.org

Speech, Language, and Hearing
Suzanne Harris, Director
Massachusetts Speech-Language-Hearing Association
77 Rumford Avenue, Suite 3B
Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 647-7031; (800) 898-8177
E-mail: msha@camihq.com
Web: www.MSHAHearSay.org

Spina Bifida
Brian Packard, President
Spina Bifida Association of Massachusetts
733 Turnpike Street, #282
North Andover, MA 01845
(888) 479-1900
E-mail: bpackard@sbaMass.org
Web: www.sbaMass.org

Tourette Syndrome
Tourette Syndrome Association
Massachusetts Chapter
P.O. Box 653
Marston’s Mills, MA 02648
(617) 277-7589
E-mail: DMErickson84@aol.com
Web: www.tsamass.org

Organizations Especially for Parents

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI)
Richard Robison, Executive Director
Federation for Children with Special Needs
1135 Tremont Street, Suite 420
Boston, MA 02120-2140
(617) 236-7210 (V/TTY); (800) 331-0688 (in MA only)
E-mail: fcsninfo@fcsn.org
Web: www.fcsn.org/

Parent-To-Parent
Mary Castro Summers, Director
Family TIES of Massachusetts
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Donovan Health Building, 3rd Floor
5 Randolph Street
Canton, MA 02021
(781) 774-6736; (800) 905-TIES
E-mail: mcsummers@fcsn.org
Web: www.massfamilyties.org

Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change
P.O. Box 61
Raynham, MA 02768
(800) 406-3632
E-mail: mfofc@comcast.net
Web: www.mfofc.org

Community Parent Resource Center
(Serving the city of Boston)
Charlotte "Dee" Spinkston, Executive Director
Urban PRIDE
184 Dudley Street, Suite 104LL
Roxbury, MA 02119
(617) 989-3929
E-mail: c.spinkston@urbanpride.org
E-mail: info@urbanpride.org
Web: www.urbanpride.org

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Michelle Tremont, President
Massachusetts PTA
P.O. Box 421
Rehobeth, MA 02769
(508) 347-7055
E-mail: info@masspta.org
Web: www.masspta.org

Parent Advisory Council
Suzanne Gervais, President
Massachusetts Association of Special Education Parent Advisory Councils (MASSPAC)
P.O. Box 167
Sharon, MA 02067
(617) 962-4558
E-mail: info@masspac.org
Web: www.masspac.org

Other Disability Organizations

Toni Saunders, President
Associated Advocacy Center
Visions for the Future, Inc.
24 Widow Coombs Walk
Sandwich, MA 02563
(508) 420-4356; (888) 420-4356
E-mail: Tonisvision@aol.com
Web: www.aacvisions.org
Web: www.mytimetolearn.com

Kirk Joslin, President
Easter Seals Massachusetts
(School transition services, assistive technology and augmentative communication assessments, therapy services, summer Camp, and low interest rate loans for assistive technology.)
484 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01608
(508) 757-2756; (800) 244-2756
E-mail: kjoslin@eastersealsma.org
Web: www.eastersealsma.org

Robert Bass, Director
New England INDEX
Shriver Center UMASS Medical School
(Information & Referral for people with Disabilities)
200 Trapelo Road
Waltham, MA 02452-6319
(781) 642-0248; (800) 642-0249
(800) 764-0200 TTY (in MA)
E-mail: info@disabilityinfo.org
Web: www.disabilityinfo.org

Debra S. Kamen, Director
Statewide Head Injury Program
Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
27 Wormwood Street, Fort Point Place, Suite 600
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 204-3852 (V); (617) 204-3817 (TTY)
(800) 223-2559 (MA only)
E-mail: debra.kamen@mrc.state.ma.us
Web: www.mass.gov/mrc/ship/ship.htm

Steve Scarano, Coordinator
Home Modifications Loan Program for People with Disabilities
Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
27 Wormwood Street
Boston, MA 02210-1616
(617) 204-3600; (800) 245-6543
Web: www.mass.gov/mrc/agency/homemods.htm

Charles J. Washburn, Executive Director
VSA arts of Massachusetts
China Trade Center
2 Boylston Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02116-9856
(617) 350-7713 (V); (617) 350-6836 (TTY)
E-mail: cjwashburn@vsamass.org
Web: www.vsamass.org

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