Disability Topics
Youth Services
Adolescent Services
Human Services Department
The Adolescent Services Program at the Minnesota Department of Human Services provides federal funding, training and technical assistance to Minnesota communities to support and develop services and programs for youth at risk.
Children and Youth Services - State Services for the Blind
Blind State Services
State Services for the Blind’s child information and referral page lists resources to serve as a starting point for answers to questions about child development, eye conditions, and adaptive skills.
Children with Special Health Needs (MCSHN)
Health Department
Minnesota Children with Special Health Needs (MCSHN) provides leadership through partnerships with families and other key stakeholders to improve the access and quality of all systems impacting children and youth with special health care needs and their families.
Children with Special Needs - Birth Defects
Health Department
Minnesota Children with Special Health Needs has developed a series of fact sheets for over 40 of the most common birth defects. The fact sheets provide information such as a general description of the condition, prevalence, common associated conditions, short and long-term treatment and outcomes, common complications and implications for children's development.
Children's Mental Health Services
Human Services Department
Children's Mental Health staff help children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbance. They work with counties and Children's Mental Health Collaboratives to establish a comprehensive, integrated, and accountable mental health delivery system that meets the mental health needs of children and youth and helps people become as self-sufficient as possible.
Citizen Review Panels
Human Services Department
Citizen review panels provide opportunities for community members to play an integral role in ensuring the child protection system is protecting children from abuse and neglect and helping find permanent homes for them. While the panels are required to review the state’s Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) plan, they also evaluate different aspects of the child protection system in their own communities.
Developmental Screening of Young Children
Health Department
Developmental screening is a brief, simple procedure used to identify potential health or developmental problems in infants and young children who may need a health assessment, diagnostic assessment, or educational evaluation.
Early Childhood Services Directory
Health Department
Early Childhood Services: A Directory of Resources Available for Children and Families in Minnesota provides information on resources that may help families, providers and others working with children with disabilities.
Foster Care
Human Services Department
Children need to feel safe and nurtured in order to learn and grow. Foster parents provide for the child’s educational, health, cultural and social needs. Foster parents bring children to doctor appointments, participate in the child’s education and attend cultural events in the community.
Health Care for Children with Disabilities
Human Services Department
Minnesota offers several health care programs that may pay for past, current and future medical costs for a child who has a disability.
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
Human Services Department
Minnesota's Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (Minnesota Statute 260.851) ensures that children in need of out-of-home placement to and from other states receive the same protections guaranteed to the children placed in care within Minnesota. This includes uniform guidelines and procedures to ensure that the placements take place in ways that promote the best interests of the child.
Mental Heallth for Children
Education Department
The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires education agencies to provide special education and related services to eligible children and youth. Mental health services are not clearly defined in IDEA although it does define a number of related services (e.g. counseling, psychology, social work, etc.), which may be included in a child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). These related services are to be made available to a child with disabilities to ensure that child receives a benefit from their specialized instruction and receives a free and appropriate public education (FAPE)
Pathways to Employment
Human Services Department
Pathways to Employment (PTE) is dedicated to building partnerships that help Minnesotans with disabilities successfully enter and maintain their efforts in the world of work.
Special Education Program Assessment
Education Department
A principal assesses school programs, student achievement and staff performance. Assessment is an ongoing process for determining whether goals are being achieved and expectations met. The principal promotes effective, realistic assessment procedures that ensure valid and appropriate information about students with disabilities and their programs.
Special Education Services
Education Department
Users can access resources on early childhood intervention and early childhood special education services, secondary transition services, mental health, care and treatment and third party reimbursement available to children and youth with disabilities.
Students with Disabilities: College Services
Colleges and Universities, Minnesota State
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) values diversity in its college and university communities and is committed to ensuring equal access and opportunity to qualified students with physical, learning or psychological disabilities. Buildings are accessible and a wide variety of accommodations are available to help students with disabilities succeed. To request accommodations, contact the disability coordinator at the college or university you wish to attend.
Who Pays: Taking the Maze out of Funding
Health Department
This training provides information about a wide range of potential funding sources for families of all children, including, but not limited to, those with special health needs. It includes: major funding programs; other possible funding options; tools to help in identifying appropriate funding resources.
