Services to Parents of Children With Disabilities

Open Gate Family Resource Center
2601 Mission St., Suite 300, S.F., CA 94110
NEW TEL: (415) 920-5040
NEW FAX: (415) 920-5099
Office Hours: M, W, F: 9:30am-4:30pm &
T, TH: 12:30-8:30pm.

Email info@supportforfamilies.org
www.supportforfamilies.org/open_gate.html

Open Gate is collaboration among the following agencies to enable families with disabilities to access their services more easily.

- Support for Families of Children with Disabilities
- Community Alliance for Special Education
- Keys to Introducing Disability in Society
- Community Advisory Committee for Special Education
- Community Mental Health Services
- San Francisco Unified School District

Among the services provided are:

Phone line and Drop-in services

Families and professionals can call or drop in at their convenience and find out about the services available to them. Open Gate is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every weekday except Tuesday and Thursday, when it is open until 8:30 p.m.

Lending Library

Support for Families operates an extensive lending library where families and professionals can check out disability related materials including books, videos, audio tapes newsletters and catalogues. A toy lending library is also available.

Support Groups

There are a variety of support groups for families and parents of children with disabilities. They include support groups for Chinese and Spanish speaking parents, Down Syndrome, siblings, single parents, parent mentors, school age group, deaf and hard of hearing, group support for fathers, student groups, Family Links to Mental Health for families of children with behavior issues.

Parent Mentor Program

This program matches parents/caregivers with others who might have a child with a similar disability or issue. Training is provided to those interested in becoming parent mentors.

Counseling

Mental Health counseling, consultation and some case management are available in Spanish and English.

Workshops and Trainings

Parent/Professional Workshops are offered on the first Thursday of every month during the school year from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Translations services and childcare are offered if reserved in advance. Please call ahead to confirm workshop and reserve space.

Advocacy and Representation

Families and professionals who would like advice regarding accessing special education services can take advantage of these services. An initial consultation with an advocate, either in person or over the phone, can be arranged by calling Open Gate and making an appointment.

Disability Awareness and Leadership

This program teaches students about disability related issues from a civil rights perspective.

All services at open gate are free of charge.

Additional San Francisco Resources

Community Alliance for Special Education

1500 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Tel. 415 431 2285
Fax 415 431 2289
http://www.caseadvocacy.org/

CASE provides individual consultations and paralegal representation on a sliding fee basis.

Association for Chinese Families of the Disabled

615 Grant Ave., 2nd floor
San Francisco, Ca., 94108
415-392-4453

Organization goal: To provide bilingual information, education and support to Chinese families who have children with disabilities.

Support for Families of Children with Disabilities

At Open Gate
2601 Mission Street Suite 606
San Francisco, Ca. 94110
415-282-7494
www.supportforfamilies.org

SFCD is a parent run San Francisco based non-profit that offers parent-to-parent support to families who have children with disabilities, information and educational services to families and the professionals who work with them. This includes a parent mentor program, monthly parent/professional workshops, IEP workshops, special events for families and a quarterly newsletter.

Community Advisory Committee for Special Education

At Open Gate
2601 Mission Street, #300
San Francisco, CA
415-920-5040

The state Education Code mandates that each Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) has a Community Advisory Committee (CAC). The purpose of the CAC is to advise the Board of Education on special education policies, programs, priorities and parent education in the SELPA. The CAC monitors how special education law is being implemented within the SELPA. The majority of CAC members must be parents. You may contact the SELPA director at 415-355-7735.

Links to Mental Health Services

415-469-4518

Support for Families of Children with Disabilities and the Child, Youth and Family Section, Community Mental Health Services sponsor mental health support services at Open Gate. The goal is to help families connect with appropriate services that can provide on-going support a child may need. Services include phone or face to face consultation, brief intervention, and helping parents gain a clearer picture of a child's needs.

Family Service Agency of San Francisco
Programs for Children, Youth and Families
www.fsasf.org/services/cyf.html

San Francisco Mental Health Plan
415-255-3737 - mental health access line

Children's Mental Health Assessment Program (AB3632)

Assessment, counseling, case management and outreach for children and families referred through the office of special education of the SFUSD

San Francisco Department of Public Health Home Page

http://www.dph.sf.ca.us/CHNSite.htm

United Cerebral Palsy of the Golden Gate (UCP)

Phone: (510) 832-7430
www.ucpgg.org

Parents Helping Parents

594 Monterey Boulevard
San Francisco, Ca., 94127
415-841-8820

Special Olympics West Bay Region
109 Stevenson St.; fifth floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
P: 415-593-3250
F: 415-593-3255
WBregion@sonc.org

Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports forpeople eight years of age or older with developmental disabilities.

SSI for Children with Disabilities

Volunteer Legal Services Program of the Bar Association of San Francisco
465 California Street, Suite 1100
San Francisco, Ca., 94104-1826
415-575-3130
http://www.sfbar.org/vlsp/children.html

Free legal advice and representation to those with a problem or question concening a child's SSI matter. Supplemental Security Income is a benefit available to low-income children with severe mental and/or physical disabilities.

"Thank you" to Support for Families of Children with Disabilities for providing much of this information. This information is solely provided as a resource for parents and not as an endorsement of services provided.