Database of Federally Funded Technical Assistance and Research Centers

The Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning (CIDDL)is serving as the National Center to Improve Faculty Capacity to Use Educational Technology in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Personnel Preparation and Leadership Personnel Preparation Programs. We are primarily focused on the following activities:

• Increasing knowledge, adoption, and use of a range of educational technologies that can be used for educator, related service, or leadership preparation programs;
• Increasing capacity of faculty at institutions of higher education (IHE) to use a range of educational technologies in educator, related service, or leadership preparation programs;
• Sustaining professional learning networks related to educational technology in educator, related service, and leadership preparation programs.

The Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) is your central “Hub” of information and products created for the network of Parent Centers serving families of children with disabilities.

All the materials found on the CPIR Hub have been created and archived for Parent Centers around the country to help them provide support and services to the families they serve. The CPIR employs a user-centered process, gathering the perspectives of our experienced audience—Parent Center staff members and other experts—every step of the way, to create products and services that increase Parent Centers’ knowledge and capacity in specific domains.

The Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES) aims to empower school districts to build and maintain technology systems that include every student, particularly children and youth with disabilities who require assistive technology and accessible materials. The CITES Framework is a helpful guide that encourages positive change within a district. It works alongside technology and instructional efforts already in place, bringing together experts and coaches at various levels to assist local teams in making and maintaining inclusive technology systems.

The purpose of the project is to increase the body of knowledge on equitable and innovative approaches for implementing and integrating technology into informal and formal authentic early childhood assessments and to build capacity of the field to use technology to support authentic assessment through disseminating tools, methods, and frameworks.

Created by IDEA 2004, the NIMAC is a federally-funded, searchable online repository of source files for K-12 instructional materials. We receive files in the XML-based NIMAS (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard) format, and states use these materials in the production of accessible formats such as braille, large print, and digital text. The NIMAC currently has over 74,000 files from more than 160 publishers.

There are nearly 100 Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs)and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs)in the US and Territories who are working with families of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, birth to 26 and are helping parents participate effectively in their children’s education and development. They partner with professionals and policy makers to improve outcomes for all children with disabilities.  This resource will link you to the "Find Your Parent Center" database which is hosted by the Center for Parent Information & Resources.

The Regional PTACs help OSEP’s funded network of Parent Centers address administrative/management challenges and increase their capacities to provide information and training to families of children with disabilities.  This resource takes you to the Center for Parent Information & Resources site where you can find more information about the four Regional Parent Technical Assistance Centers.

Some of the Technical Assistance (TA) Services RPTACs provide to Parent Centers include:

• One-to-one consultations 
• Training/Webinars 
• Training for non-profit board training members 
• Help with needs assessment 
• Peer-to-peer mentoring 
• TA using technology to enhance programs and services 
• Regional meetings and conferences 
• Site visits  
• Non-profit management tools 
• Newsletters  
• Family- and Youth-centered service strategies

he STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education (STEMI²E²) Center aims to:

• Develop and enhance the knowledge base on engagement in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning opportunities for young children with disabilities (O-5);
• Implement high-quality technical assistance and professional development to increase engagement for young children with disabilities in STEM opportunities; and
• Engage partners and stakeholders from diverse disciplines and industry in work to increase the inclusion of young children with disabilities in early high-quality STEM learning experiences.