Name

Description

Adult Protective Services
Advocates and protects adults with disabilites from neglect and abuse.
AHCA - Promoting Nursing Excellence for you and your family
Promoting excellence in nursing home and long-term care faciliites is top priority.  To do that, focus is on providing information, training ans support to members facilities throughout the state.  And those resources are being put to good use.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
The American Speech-Lanuguage-Hearing Association is the professional, scientific, and credentialing association 135,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists, speech-pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists.
Arkansas Department of Human Services
DHS is the primary Arkansas State Agency to prived human services through ten major divisions and five support offices, including DDS and Medicaid Services.
Arkansas Department of Human Services - Services for the Blind
Links to Servieds provided by the State of Arkansas for individuals with blindness.
Arkansas Disability Coalition
Arkansas Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) is a Joint Project of Arkansas Disability Coalition and Arkansas Support Network.
Arkansas Division of Developmental Disabilities Services
DDS si the primary State Agency within the Arkansas State Department of Human Services to fund, license and regulate services to individuals with developmental diabilities.  The mission of DDS is to provide a variety of supports to improve the quality of life for individuals with mental retardation, autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy or other conditions that cause a person to function as if they have mental retardation.  DDS also provides services for individuals with a developmental delay, ages birth to 3 years.
Arkansas Down Syndrome Association
The mission of the Arkansas Down Syndrome Association is to promote comprehensive community based health care services for individuals in the state of Arkansas who have Down Syndrome.
Arkansas Governor's DD Council
Governor-appointed, the Arkansas Governor's Developmental Disability Council consists of individuals with developmental disabilities, family members, directors of state agencies that serve people with disabilities and representatives from nonprofit and private organizations that provide services and supports for people with disabilities.
Arkansas Lighthouse for the Blind
Nonprofit agency employing Arkansans who are blind and visually impaired to improve their quality of life and independence.  With almost 70 years of experience in lighting the path to self-sufficiency, the Lighthouse is proud to utilize the skills and talents of workers who are blind and visually impaired.  Lighthouse seeks to serve as an example in the community of the capabilities of its employees while providing quality products and services to all its customers.
Arkansas Medicaid
Medicaid is a program that helps pay for medically necessary medical services for needy and low income persons.  The Department of Human Services (DHS) runs the Medicaid program in Arkansas.
Arkansas Rehabilitative Services
A division of the Department of Workforce Education, Arkansas Rehabilitative Services (ARS) has been charged with providing opportunities for Arkansans with disabilities to lead productive and independent lives.
Arkansas Waiver Association
The Arkansas Waiver Association is a not-for-profit corporation guided by a Board of Directors who serve withou compensation of any kind.  The majority of Board Members are persons with a developmental disability or family member.  The rest of the Board is composed of professionals who work for developmental disability community providers.  The membership is from the same groups.  They seek to improve the quality of life for persons with a developmental disability and their families through active advocacy, open communications and an exchange of professional ideas.
ARKids First
ARKids First health insurance provides two coverage options for more than 70,000 Arkansas children who otherwise might have gone without.  ARKids A offers low-income families a comprehensive package of benefits.  ARKids B provides coverage for families with higher incomes.
Center for Effective Parenting
The Center for Effective Parenting serves as the Arkansas State Parent Information & Resource Center (PIRC) which is funded by a grant from the US Department of Eduation.  This program involves a multi-target-multimethod approach to improve the developmental progress of children and to improve academic achievement.

The program focuses many of its efforts statewide but has centers in Northwest Arkansas (Jones Center for Families in Springdale) and in Little Rock (UAMS Department of Pediatrics and Arkansas Children's Hospital).  This allows for services to be provided to a broad representation of parents including those from both rural and urban areas low-income populations, and minority groups.
Child Product Safety Recall Information
The Arkansas Attorney General is the state's number one consumer advocate, and child product safety is one of the top priorities.  In 2005, almost 60,000 children under the age of 5 were treated in US emergency rooms for injuries associated with nursery products.  Keep our kids safe starts by securing our own homes, which is why the Arkansas Attorney General created this web site.
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Arkansas
The Arkansas Chapter has a very energetic and dedicated group of staff and volunteers that are always working on new or improved events and community programs.  Our volunteers are dedicated to beating CF - whether it is for personal involvement or because they feel they have a civic duty to be involved in the community.  Our vibrant leadership board participates in fundraising and events, and our families and communities help to raise awareness and funds to fight CF.  Our goal is to make CF stand for Cure Found!
Department of Child and Family Services
DCFS strives to keep children safe and protect families.  DCFS will respectfully engage families and youth and use community-based services and supports to assist parents in successfully caring for their children.  DCFS will focus on the safety, permanency, and well-being for all children and youth.
Department of Human Services, Diviision of Child Care and Early Childhood Education
Links to services provided by the State of Arkansas
Disability Preparedness
The safety and security of Americans with disabilities.
Disability Rights
The Disability Rights Center is a private non-profit agency with offices in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Since 1977 the Governor of Arkansas has designated the DRC the independent rights protection and advocacy system for persons with disabilities in Arkansas.  DRC operates under authority outlined in Federal law and is funded primarily by the Federal government.
Honda Mobility Assistance
Honda will provide reimbursement of up to $1,000 to each eligible, original retail customer for expenses incurred to purchase and install qualifying adaptive  equipment on any eligible purchased or leased Honda vehicle.
KidsHealth
If you're looking for information you can trust about kids and teens that's free of "doctor speak," you've come to the right place.  KidsHealth is the most-visited site on the Web for inormation about health, behavior, and development from before birth through teen years.
Mental Health Council of Arkansas
The Mental Health Council of Arkansas is a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors representing each of the 15 participating community mental health centers and their affiliates.  The MHCA assists its members to achieve the goal of community based treatment which focuses on the whole person with emphasis on physical, mental, and emotional wellness and by promoting the comprehensive diagnostic, treatment, and wrap around services provided by the non-profit Community Mental Health Centers of Arkansas.  The MHCA is dedicated to improving the overall health and well-being of all Arkansans and communities throughout Arkansas.  With over 50 psychiatrists and 2,000 health care professionals, participating members of the MHCA provide comprehensive services specially designed to meet the individual behavorial healthcare needs of Arkansas' citizens.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society - Arkansas Division
We address the challenges of each person whose life is affected by MS.

The Arkansas Office is committed to providing vital support and services to the many thousands of individuals living with MS, their families, friends and colleagues in our chapter area.  To contact our Information and Resource Helpdesk for any questions about MS, treatment, referrals, or upcoming programs, call 1-800-344-4867, option 1.
Office of Long Term Care
Each year, more than 23,000 Arkansans who have chronic, long-term medical needs require services in long-term care facilities.  These individuals live in the approximately 236 nursing facilities and 40 intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded that are licensed to provide long-term care services in Arkansas.

Improving the quality of life for residents and protecting their health and safety through enforcing state and federal standards are primary goals of Arkansas Medicaid's Office of Long Term Care.  Using qualified health care professionals, OLTC inspects all facilities to ensure residents recieve the care they need in a clean, safe environment and that they are treated with dignity and respect.
Social Security Administration
The Social Security Income (SSI) program pays benefits to disabled adults and children who have limited income and resources.
Special Olympics of Arkansas
The Special Olympics of Arkansas' mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic type sports for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
The American Network of Community Options and Resources
The American Network of Community Options and Resources is a nonprofit trade association representing and advocating on behalf of the more than 800 private providers of services and supports for nearly 500,000 Americans with disabilities that employ over 400,000 direct support staff in 40 states and Washington, D.C.
The ARC for the River Valley
The ARC for the River Valley advocates for the rights and full participation of all children and adults with intellectual, physical and developmental disabilities.  They work to improve systems of supports and services, connect families, inspire communities and influence public policy.
The Arkansas Developmental Disability Providers Association
DDPA is an Arkansas statewide network of community programs serving people with developmental disabilities, striving to increase the options for individuals and families.
The Autism Society
The Autism Society, the nation's leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism.  They do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.
The Community Services Clearinghouse, Inc.
The Community Services Clearinghouse, Inc. has been in operation for 30-plus years as an organization which provides for emergency needs in the community.  Now serving five counties in Arkansas and two in Oklahoma, the Clearinghouse is a 501(c)3 corporation, and a recipent of United Way funds.  In financial assistance, we help working families, families with children, elderly and disabled with utility bills, medication, and other needs on an emergency basis.  We also have a food pantry of both non-perishable and fresh/frozen foods for the same population.
US Department of Transportation
Emergency preparedness and individuals with disabilities.
United Way of Fort Smith Area
United Way of Fort Smith Area addresses the needs important to people who live and work in Crawford, Franklin, LeFlore, Logan, Sebastian and Sequoyah Counties.
University Association for Disability Awareness (UADA)
UADA is here to ensure disabled students' civil rights are protected in the students' pursuit of higher education and to effect change should violation occur.  In addition, UADA has a strong commitment to educating and sensitizing the campus community to the needs of persons with disabilities.  UADA concerns itself with the entire range of disabilities and seeks to locate and eliminate physical, educational, recreational, and attitudinal barriers.  In addition to serving its permanent population, UADA extends all services to the temporarily disabled.
Eye Contact Arkansas
A website focused on Autism legislation.

If you have any links you would like to see added to this list or if you find a broken link, please email jmontgomery@bost.org.  Thank you