Minnesota Online Special Needs Directory:
Guide to Use
Organization: For all regions of Minnesota EXCEPT the Twin Cities Metro Area, you can view the directory alphabetized by either disorder or condition, or organization name. This will change over the coming months, so that eventually all resources will be listed by type, like the Twin Cities Metro Area pages. In all cases, listings are split into sections by region of Minnesota, and each region has its own page. Here is how I divided them up. (Clicking the links below will take you to the regional listings organized by disorder or condition name. From there, you can easily get to them alphabetized by organization name. Clicking the Twin Cities Metro Area link will take you to the page with resource types A-C: Accessibility Improvement through Counseling Services.)
Northwestern
Minnesota includes the following counties: Becker, Beltrami,
Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard, Kittson, Lake of the WNorthwestern
MinnesotaNorthwestern Minnesotaoods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman,
Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, and Todd.
Northeastern
Minnesota includes the following counties: Aitkin, Carlton, Cass,
Cook, Crow Wing, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St.
Louis.
West
Central Minnesota includes the following counties: Big
Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker,
Pope, Renville, Stearns, Stevens, Swift, and Traverse.
East Central Minnesota includes the following counties: Benton,
Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, and
Sherburne.
Southwestern Minnesota includes the following counties: Blue
Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Jackson, LeSueur,
Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood,
Rock, Sibley, Watonwan, Waseca, and Yellow Medicine.
Southeastern
Minnesota includes the following counties: Dodge, Fillmore,
Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, and
Winona.
Twin Cities
Metro Area includes the following counties: Anoka, Carver,
Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington, and Wright. (As this
region has the most listings, I have split it into four sections.)
Listing Headings: Each listing for the greater Minnesota pages is labeled in the following way, from left to right (even on pages where column headings aren't visible):
Organization name
Disorder or condition
Resource type (these are explained below)
Region of MN (this should be the same for every listing in each section)
Address
City
State
ZIP code
Phone number
Additional phone number(s), if applicable
Fax number
Email address, if available
URL (Web address, if available)
Explanation of Resource Types: This tells you what each organization's main function is, to the best of my knowledge. Organizations that have more than one main function usually have more than one listing. The categories are my creation, and although I hope they make sense, they're admittedly somewhat arbitrary. So, to make sure it's clear what I mean by each one, here's a brief glossary!
Accessibility improvement. For organizations that work on making the rest of the world more easily accessible to people with disabilities, especially physical ones. Examples: Access for All, Access Project, Minnesota Ramp Project.
Adoption/foster care. These organizations provide information on adoption and foster care, and/or connect prospective parents with potential adoptees or foster children. Examples: Adopt America Network, Children's Home Society of Minnesota.
Advocacy. Organizations that help clients and their families to advocate for themselves effectively, in all areas of life. Examples: Arc of Minnesota, Advocate for the Blind, Cornerstone Advocacy.
Arts. Performing arts organizations especially for people with special needs. Examples: VSA Arts of Minnesota, Interactive Performing Arts.
Assistive technology. Organizations that produce tools to help people with disabilities improve their functioning. Examples: Visionics, Williams Sound, MarbleSoft.
Chemical dependency recovery. Organizations, usually residential, that support people in overcoming chemical dependency and substance abuse. Examples: Hazelden, Pine Manor.
Counseling service. Organizations that provide counseling to individuals and groups, generally around personal mental health issues. Examples: Chrysalis Center for Women, Northern Pines Mental Health.
Day care. Organizations that provide care or treatment for people with special needs during the day. Most of the day care organizations listed currently are for adults, but I will add those that care for children as I become aware of them.
Education and support. Formal organizations that educate the public about a disorder or condition, and provide a range of support services to people with that condition. Nearly every disorder-specific organization in the directory falls into this category (for example, United Cerebral Palsy, American Lung Association of MN, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder, MN Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), as do some that serve people with disabilities in general (for example, Courage Center).
Food service. Organizations that prepare and deliver food to people with special needs.
Food shelf. Organizations that collect and distribute food for families and individuals in economic need.
Government agency. Departments within the government that provide public services to special-needs children, youth, and families: for example, the Special Education division of the MN Department of Education; the MN Department of Human Services; the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities; and county human service offices.
Health care. Hospitals and clinics, or organizations that help people gain access to medical care.
Health education/harm prevention. Organizations whose focus is to promote healthy behaviors and reduce harmful ones. Most of these organizations target children and young people directly. Examples: Center for Violence Prevention and Control, Prevention Alliance, Face to Face.
Higher education disability service. Offices of Minnesota's colleges and universities that provide support services to students with disabilities. In addition to current students, high school students with disabilities who are thinking about college may find it especially helpful to have contact information for these offices.
Home health care. Organizations that provide care for patients at home.
Housing. Organizations that help people with disabilities find houses or apartments, or that have residential units crafted especially for people with disabilities.
Human service agency (non-government). These are private organizations that provide a range of human services. Examples: Lutheran Social Service, Goodwill Easter Seals, American Red Cross.
Independent living center. Organizations that help people with disabilities learn skills for successful independent living. Examples: Semi-Independent Living Center; all member facilities of the Minnesota Centers for Independent Living (MACIL).
Information and referral. Organizations that serve as clearinghouses for resource information. Examples: Alcohol and Drug Abuse Information and Referral; DirectAbility.com; FirstCall Minnesota.
Legal. Organizations that provide legal counsel and related assistance to people with special needs. Examples: Legal Aid Society; Minnesota Disability Law Center.
Medical equipment. Suppliers and distributors of equipment for people with disabilities.
Organ procurement and transplantation. Organizations that find organs for prospective donors. At this time, LifeSource is the only such organization listed here; I hope to add more in future.
Physical/occupational therapy. Organizations that help people with disabilities to improve their daily physical functioning.
Professional provider organization. Organizations that regulate and supervise the activities of professional care providers in Minnesota. Examples: Professional Association of Treatment Homes (PATH); Care Providers of Minnesota; Council for Exceptional Children.
Publishers. Books, magazines, catalogs, and other material of interest to people with disabilities. Examples: Access Press; Disabled Dealer; Nekola Books.
Research. Organizations that conduct formal studies of disability-related issues, with the goal of improving service availability and delivery as well as the overall success of people with disabilities. Most of the University of Minnesota's listings fall into this category, and many focus significantly on children and adolescents with disabilities. Examples: Institute on Community Integration; Center for Chronic Illness and Disability; Institute for Health and Disability.
Respite care. Organizations that provide temporary care to relieve parents or other full-time caregivers. Example: Range Respite Care and all Crisis Nurseries.
School. Educational facilities especially for students with disabilities. Examples: Metro Deaf School; the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf.
Shelter. Facilities for people who need a safe place to stay temporarily. Examples: Sharing and Caring Hands; Alexandra House.
Shopping and delivery service. Organizations that buy and deliver groceries or other supplies for people with disabilities. Example: Store to Door. (More listings are needed here also, especially in greater Minnesota.)
Sports and recreation. Organizations that provide adaptive or therapeutic sports or camp experiences for people with disabilities. Most of those listed here are especially for children and young people. Examples: Victory Riders; American Sledge Hockey Association; Camp Heartland; Wilderness Inquiry.
Support group. Groups, generally private and informal, where members provide emotional support to each other for a common set of issues. Examples: Alcoholics Anonymous; Emotions Anonymous; Children Are People.
Transportation. Organizations that provide rides or adapted vehicles for people with disabilities. Examples: Metro Mobility; Handi-Cabs; Rollx Vans.
Treatment/care residence. Facilities that provide medical, psychological, and/or behavioral support to people with special needs other than chemical dependency (that has its own category). Examples: All PATH facilities; Homeward Bound.
Vocational/career service. Organizations that provide work-related counseling and training. Examples: Rise, Inc., FlexWork; Employment Innovations; Opportunity Partners.
Wish-granting. Organizations that grant the wishes of children and young people with life-threatening conditions. Examples: Make-a-Wish; Wishes & More.
Youth/child development. Organizations providing a range of services to promote healthy development and success in children and young adults. Examples: Phyllis Wheatley Community Services; Kaleidoscope; Center for Early Education and Development.
A Quick Word About the "General" and "Universal" Condition Categories...These are the only condition/disorder names that probably are not self-explanatory, and here's what they mean.
Organizations with "general" in the disorder/condition field serve a broad range of people with disabilities or illnesses: for example, Courage Center, DirectAbility.com, all health-care and transportation facilities, and most adaptive/therapeutic recreation providers.
Organizations with "universal" as the disorder/condition label serve everyone, including people without disabilities. Many focus on helping people who face adverse conditions such as violence, poverty, homelessness, and hunger. All human service agencies at the county, city, and neighborhood levels fall under "universal," as do most of the child- and youth-development organizations. Some of these organizations focus particularly or exclusively on American Indians, African Americans, Asian or Pacific Americans, migrant workers, native Spanish speakers, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender people, or women, and I have indicated where this is the case.
In the few cases where I was unsure of the population served by an organization, I coded it as "universal," thinking it was better to label it too broadly than too narrowly. If more specific information is available, however, I welcome it!
Where to Go From Here? Options Beyond the Directory
I hope sincerely that everyone who visits this site can find at least one significantly helpful resource. But in case you don't, or would like information or support beyond what you find here, some next steps to think about are:
Pay close attention to what you (or your child) excels at and likes best, and work on improving skills in that area. Teachers, researchers, parents, and kids with special needs agree unanimously that this is VITAL to helping kids succeed, and a main purpose of this directory, in fact, is to make it easy to find resources that will help promote that success! Is there a school subject you (or your child) is particularly good at? A sport? Art, music, or dance? Using computers? Getting along well with other people? Or is she/he (or are you) just very smart and/or very nice overall? Whatever your (or your child's) special skill is, build it up and use it -- and if you already do, way to go! Then, think about how you (or your child) can use those skills to succeed in other ways.
Visit the Websites of national organizations relevant to your or your child's needs (assuming you have regular Internet access). Not only are these often goldmines of useful, current information, but many have ways for you to connect with other parents or children in the same situation. The Jade Foundation's links page can take you to some of the most thorough national and international sites, for both general and specific disability issues.
Talk to:
your pediatrician, nurse practitioner, psychologist, or other health-care providers you trust;
your clergyperson and/or youth group director;
your county social workers, or other local human-service staff you find compassionate and trustworthy;
your child's (or your own) teachers;
neighbors, friends, relatives, and other special-needs parents or kids!
Any of these folks can provide support, encouragement, options you may not think of, and a place to try out your own ideas...and they will help you remember the most important thing of all...
...YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There are thousands of children and families in Minnesota, the rest of the nation, and the world in VERY similar situations to your own, and they are experiencing many of the same events and emotions you are. Having -- and being -- a young person with special needs is a very complex experience, and often a tremendously stressful one -- few people in this situation would deny that! But that stress can be managed...and sources of support, encouragement, and information can give you and your family the tools to do that and to succeed. And I hope this directory will provide at least a few of those tools for you!
Now, for the directory itself:
East Central Minnesota: by Condition by Organization
Northeastern Minnesota: by Condition by Organization
Northwestern Minnesota: by Condition by Organization
Southeastern Minnesota: by Condition by Organization
Southwestern Minnesota: by Condition by Organization
Twin Cities Metro Area: A-C D-H I-R S-Z
West Central Minnesota: by Condition by Organization