Meeting the needs of children with disabilities can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to weighing options and making decisions about their education. Through its website, the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) provides information to parents, communities, educators and the general public on specific disabilities; programs and services for infants, children and youth; U.S. special education law; and effective educational practices. NICHCY also offers links to state agencies, parent groups and organizations around the country that offer assistance and information.

Publications

NICHCY offers a variety of copyright-free publications in English and Spanish, including fact sheets on specific disabilities, guidance pertaining to the special education law, parents’ guides, tips for teachers, resource lists and much more.

Responses to questions

NICHCY has information specialists available to respond to personal questions and concerns in English or Spanish via a toll-free hotline or an email response system called “Ask NICHCY.”

The Research Center

To enable evidence-based decision making about early intervention and special education services, an entire section of the NICHCY website is devoted to connecting users to research-based information. The Research Center contains a collection of summaries from meta-analytical studies; an electronic module series called Evidence for Education that explores best educational practices; and Research Basics, where users can learn how research is conducted, how to read and understand research articles, and what types of research are the most trustworthy.

FHI 360 houses and operates NICHCY and the Research Center.