I am new to this! Where do I begin?


The best place to begin is by contacting the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). They use a process called the "Front Door" to determine eligibility and needs for various services. The Southern Tier office can be reached at 607-771-7784 . Read about their services and the process on their website: https://opwdd.ny.gov. Click on the picture below to learn more:


You may have noticed that there are a lot of acronyms used in service descriptions for people with disabilities (IEP, ADA, OPWDD, etc.). Are all of these acronyms driving you crazy? The Family Resource Network has created a comprehensive list of definitions that can help:

https://familyrn.org/resources/disability-related-acronyms/