Cheers to Teachers: A Week of Celebration
National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4 to 8. Families can celebrate teachers and their attention to each child’s unique needs by sharing a heartfelt thank you and recognizing the ways their teachers support students every day. This could include a note, a small gesture, and ongoing partnership in your child’s learning.
Upcoming Family Training Available Online
The Exceptional Children's Assistance Center (ECAC) is hosting free evening webinars throughout the month that will cover:
- Prior Written Notice
- IEP Road Trip
- Exploring the Use of Artificial Intelligence for Services Navigation
- ME 101– Self-Advocacy Training
- Exploring AI
ECAC hosts Tool Time Tuesdays throughout the year. These 30-minute virtual sessions are designed to share practical tools and resources with families and professionals who are supporting children through the Individualized Education Program process. Please visit ECAC’s Upcoming Events Calendar to view upcoming topics and register.
Family Support Network of North Carolina (FSNC) concludes its 40th Anniversary Family Webinars series with:
- Education Access and Quality for Children with Special Needs on May 17
- Decoding Diagnoses: What They Mean and What to do Next on June 11
Both sessions start at 7 p.m. Registration is available online or via email at MHAV.FamilySupportNetwork@HCAHealthcare.com
The Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) offers free online and in-person workshops regionally and statewide:
- After the Diagnosis: Get Answers, Get Help, Get Going (offered monthly)
- Grandparenting Autism (in-person, Greensboro)
- Autism and Nutrition (Spanish-language only)
- How Can I Help my Child (Spanish-language only)
- Managing My Child’s Behavior (Spanish-language only)
Please visit each website to learn more about the agencies, resources, additional training, and to register for events.
Accessible Adventures for Children
Better weather is here and summer is on the horizon. We’re sharing some resources to help families plan inclusive opportunities for everyone to enjoy:
The NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) shares information about museums, parks and attractions with accessible features. The website links to the NC Accessible Books and Library Services (NC-ABLS).
Visit North Carolina has developed a list of attractions, inns, resorts and hiking trails available throughout the state.
Let Kids Play a private consulting firm that works with communities to develop accessible playgrounds or enhance existing playgrounds, maintains a list of playgrounds for all the states and some countries. The North Carolina list features locations from the mountains to the beaches.
Most local parks and recreation offices maintain lists of accessible activities and locations.
Supports for families in the Piedmont-Triad and Southwestern Regions
Centers for Exceptional Children, Family Support Network of Greater Forsyth works with families of children with special needs from birth to age 21. Programs include parent-to-parent matching, sibling and parent groups, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) outreach.
Counties served: Davison, Davie, Forsyth, Stokes, Surrey, and Yadkin
Down Syndrome Association of Greater Winston-Salem (DSAGWS) provides support and information to parents of children and adults with Down syndrome. Services include connecting families to resources to help them make education and ensure that appropriate employment opportunities are available for members. Programs include a book club for members, social events for members and parents, and a scholarship program for members to attend events, conferences, and programs.
Family Support Network of Central Carolina support includes a parent mentor program, parent groups, sibling groups, social events, resources, referrals, and a program specific to families with a child in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Support groups include a mom’s group, a dad’s group, a Black Parents Group, a Rare Diagnosis Moms Group.
Counties served: Alamance, Caswell, Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham.
Horse Power provides therapeutic horseback-riding and equine assisted therapy to promote and enhance the welfare of individuals with physical, intellectual, and/or emotional disabilities through a program of therapeutic, educational and recreational activities using horses.
Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte works with families of children with Down syndrome from birth to adulthood. Programs include social events, support groups, summer camps, supports specific to adults with Down syndrome, community engagement, and the First Call Program for parents when they learn their child has Down syndrome.
Family Support Network of Southern Piedmont connects parents and family members with Parent Mentors who are parents of a child with a disability and help parents navigate systems. Additional programs include the Parent Advisory Council of Southern Piedmont and a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parent support group. Counties served: Cabarrus, Iredell, Rowan, Stanly, and Union
Family Support Network of Trust Parents offers parent-to-parent mentor support for parents of a child with a disability or special healthcare needs, information and referral services, and workshops and training for families and service providers. Counties served: Mecklenburg
GiGi’s Playhouse of Charlotte offers free therapeutic, educational, and research-driven programs to individuals of all ages with Down syndrome. Educational and social groups include services for speech, math, and literacy; social groups; music; cooking; dance; and career development. Counties served: Mecklenburg
We Want to Know: What’s Working, What’s Not. Please Take 2 Minutes to Share Your Experience
The 2025-2026 Exceptional Children Parent Survey will accept responses until June 30, 2026. If you have not yet completed the survey, please consider doing so. Your participation in your child’s education is very important to us. As a parent, family member, or guardian of a student with a disability, you know firsthand what is working and what is not. Therefore, each year, the Office of Exceptional Children (OEC) gathers feedback from families through a survey to improve services. We want to know your views on how your school involves you in your child’s education: Let your voice be heard, Complete the 2925-2026 Exceptional Children Parent Survey Now!
The survey is voluntary and anonymous, and is available through all Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and open to all parents in the state. If you have more than one child with a disability receiving services, you may complete the survey for each child. The survey is open to parents with children from preschool through high school.
The survey consists of six questions and takes fewer than two minutes to complete. The information is confidential and will not be shared with anyone. The information from all families will be compiled to create a report about your school system, the state, the efforts to involve families in their children’s education, and the impact of that involvement on educational results for students with disabilities. The report is shared with LEAs so they can make improvements. We hope you will participate.
Agencies of Interest:
Office of Special Education Programs (U.S. Department of Education)
N.C. Department of Public Instruction
Upcoming Events:
Autism Society of North Carolina
Autism Speaks
The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education
Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center
Family Support Network
National Alliance on Mental Illness
NC ABLE
NC Down Syndrome Alliance
Special Olympics North Carolina
Triangle Disability & Autism Services
Do you have an event you would like to share with the community? Please email with information.
Contact information:
Johanna Lynch, IDEA Parent Liaison
Office of Exceptional Children, NCDPI
Email: johanna.lynch@dpi.nc.gov
Historical newsletters can be found in the Parent Newsletter Google Folder.
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