CTC Connections
Information and Resource Hub
Information and Resource Hub
On this site you will find a vast array of local, state and national resources and organizations dedicated to supporting children, families, and professionals.
Something for every member of your Family and Educational & Community Teams!
Resources are divided into TOPICS with a dropdown list for each
We encourage you to explore, connect, and utilize the vast resources available.
The knowledge you will gain, the confidence it will afford you in your journey, and the community connections you will secure are invaluable!
It takes a Village! Start expanding yours here!
“The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it.”
~ Samuel Johnson
The information and resources provided on this webpage is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or professional advice. The resources are provided without affiliation or warranty of any kind by Celebrate the Children (CTC), and we are not responsible for any content accessed on these sites.
Click these Links for NJ Government Agency services and information that serve individuals with disabilities at local, county and state levels.
New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Dept. of Human Services
NJ Division of Disability Services
NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities - DDD
NJ Dept. of Children and Families
The Children's System of Care (CSOC)
NJDOE Parental Rights in Special Education Handbook
NJ Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with IDD and Their Families
Please refer to the calendar at the bottom of this page for information and registration.
Click these links to browse organizations dedicated to meeting the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families and professional teams.
Family Institute Archived Webinars
Go Bags - Topic Specific Resources
Navigating the Medicaid System
The Arc Center for Future Planning
Click these links and browse through a wide array of educational sites and discover resources for both school and home.
Common Sense Education Digital Resources
Netflix Educational Documentaries
Described and Captioned Media Program
NC State University STEM School Gardens
ANJEE Alliance for Environmental Education Resource Hub
The New Jersey School of Conservation (NJSOC)
Kindness 101 with Steve Hartman
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
The Metropolitan Museum of Art #metkids
Conserve Wildlife Foundation NJ
How to Smile - STEM Activities
American Museum of Natural History
National Museum of African American History & Culture
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Networks (CoCoRaHS)
Click these links to browse through entities, organizations and resources available to support and advocate for your child and family. Click the links to get connected.
NJ Department of Human Services
Family WRAP Project Resource Specialists
Center for Parent Information & Resources
The New Jersey Self-Advocacy Program
The NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities (NJCDD)
Family Support Planning Councils
Bergen County CAPE Resource Center
Art, Recreation and Play are crucial for holistic development, fostering creativity, cognitive growth, social-emotional skills, and physical health by providing outlets for self-expression, stress relief, problem-solving, and confidence-building in ways structured activities often can't, essential for both children and adults. They nurture imagination, teach vital life skills like teamwork and resilience, and help individuals understand themselves and the world, making them fundamental to well-being. Click these links to learn more about these organizations.
The Game Gal Family Friendly Games
Mayo Performing Arts Center Miracle Project
Monarchs Skate & Hockey Program
Morris County Challenger Little League
United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Networks (CoCoRaHS)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Union County Performing Arts Center
Chess Wizards - Strategies for Life
Click these links for Guides & Toolkits to help you navigate available resources
New Jersey Dept. of Human Services, Division of Disability Resources Directory
NJDHS-DDD Supports Program and Community Care Program Quick Guide for Families
The Arc Family Institute Go Bags
The Go Bag was created to help you be the best ADVOCATE you can be for your loved one with an intellectual or developmental disability. A Go Bag is a simple collection of necessary resources about a specific topic. The topics will vary but the message is the same. Be Prepared!
The NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities Supports Guides and Handbooks
The September 26th Project - Emergency Preparedness
Celebrate the Children Outreach Program for Emergency Responders
Topics from A-Z
Parents, advocates, teachers, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for reliable, up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities.
The Arc of NJ Fact Sheets & Flyers
Transition is a formal process of long-range cooperative planning that will assist students with disabilities to successfully move from school into the adult world. High quality transition planning and services will enable students with disabilities to pursue their desired postsecondary goals. Click these links to learn more and prepare for Transition.
NJ DOE Transition Toolkit - School to Adult Life
State of NJ Ombudsman - Transition Resources
NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)
The Arc Family Institute Go Bags
The Go Bag was created to help you be the best ADVOCATE you can be for your loved one with an intellectual or developmental disability. A Go Bag is a simple collection of necessary resources about a specific topic. The topics will vary but the message is the same. Be Prepared!
The Arc Planning for Adult Life
The Arc Center for Future Planning
New Jersey Comprehensive Assessment Tool (NJCAT)
Community-Based Instruction (CBI)
New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services
SCARC Guardianship Services, Inc.
Transition to Adulthood for Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities: A Timeline for Parents
Pacer Center - Transition Planning for Youth with Disabilities age 14-21
Rutgers CLEP Transition to Adult Services
Understanding Self-Directed Services
NJDHS-DDD Supports Program and Community Care Program Quick Guide for Families
Why do I need to know Disability History?
Exposure to disability history gives everyone a sense of where we’ve been and where we need to go. Being aware of and understanding the people and events that are responsible for or contributed to our entitlement to a “free and appropriate public education” or the development of “self-determination” are only two examples of achievements made by people with disabilities for people with disabilities. They give us as a people, a context for developing and feeling a sense of pride in ourselves and our disabilities.
Click these links and browse through history.
The New Jersey transportation system has programs to assist individuals with disabilities in traveling around the state. These programs provide different modes of transportation as well as different levels of support to provide a safe trip. Click these links for more information.
New Jersey Transit Reduced Fare Program
New Jersey Transportation Resources
Morris Area Paratransit System (MAPS)
New Jersey Guide to Accessible Parking
New Jersey Travel Independence Program at Rutgers (NJTIP)
Click these links to browse healthcare resources for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families, caregivers and teams.
The Arc of NJ Health Care Advocacy
Catching Up with Connor Archive, The Arc Health Care Advocacy Director
Health Care Advocacy Webinar Library
Health Care Fact Sheets & Flyers
My Binder: A Virtual Tool to Keep You Organized
Beverly Roberts Memorial Healthcare Symposium
Dual-Eligibles (Medicaid & Medicare)
Dual Diagnosis Crisis Handbook
NJSAP Disaster Preparedness Webinar
NJCDD Health & Safety White Paper
RWJBarnabas Health Children's Specialized Hospital
Rowan Medicine Regional Integrated Special Needs
Syracuse University Healthy Monday
Helpful sites to help with homework. Click the links!
Click these links to familiarize yourself with Federal Agencies and Resources
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Application Process & Rights
Office of Disability Employment Policy
Click these links to connect with organizations and resources to help prepare for the transition from entitlements to eligibility.
The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities
Selecting a Support Coordination Agency
Transition to Adulthood for Young Adults with I/DD, A Timeline for Parents
Developmental Disabilities Lecture Series
Lecture Series Video Library Archive
Supportive Housing Association of NJ
The Community Living Education Project (CLEP), Rutgers
PLAN NJ, Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of NJ
The Arc Center for Future Planning
It is important to plan for your child's future and understand the financial and legal responsibilities and implications while supporting choice and self-determination, dignity & respect. Click these links to get started.
ABLE National Resource Center - Achieving a Better Life Experience
Hinkle Prior Fischer & Oberweis Attorneys at Law
Representing people with disabilities and their families since 1974
SCARC Guardianship Services, Inc.
SCARC Pro Se Guardianship Webinar Recording
Special Needs Attorneys
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Focus on People with Disabilities Companion Guide
FDIC - How Money Smart Are You?
Special Needs Financial Planning Videos
Assistive technology is defined as any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Click the links!
NJ DHS Commission for the Blind & Visually Impaired
Assistive Technology Center at TCNJ
The Arc Family Institute Assistive Technology Go Bag
Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center (ATAC)
Pacer Center Assistive Technology
Wise words to sustain your journey...
"To know the road ahead, ask those coming back."
-Chinese Proverb
"It may be when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey."
-Wendell Berry
The world needs all kinds of minds TED Talk by Temple Grandin
"Life is what you make of it. Always has been, always will be."
-Grandma Moses
Comparison is the thief of joy.
-Theodore Roosevelt
"Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking a moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity."
-Gilda Radner
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children.
Strong Winds - Strong Roots: What trees teach us about life.
A great experiment in the desert called the biodome created a living environment for human, plant and animal life. A huge glass dome was constructed to house an artificial, controlled environment with purified air and water, healthy soil and filtered light. The intent was to afford perfect growing conditions for trees, fruits and vegetables, as well as humans.
People lived in the biodome, for many months at a time, and everything seemed to do well with one exception. When the trees reached a certain height, they would topple over. It baffled scientists until they realized they forgot to include a natural element of wind. Trees need wind to blow against them because it causes their root systems to grow deeper, which supports the tree as it grows taller.
Who among us doesn't long for a perfect growing environment for ourselves, with no disruptions from outside influences? We strive to avoid the times of contrast and tension, when life's daily challenges push against us. When they do, the normal tendency is to curse them. If trees could talk, would we hear them curse the wind each time they encountered a storm?
We can learn a great deal from nature's wisdom at work if we are open to the lesson. Watch how a tree bends and sways gracefully when the wind blows against it. It does not stand rigid, resisting the flow of energy. It does not push back. The tree accepts the strong wind as a blessing that helps it grow.
Such experiences develop our character and deepen our spiritual roots. When we grow deep, we too, can stand tall.
-Dennis Merritt Jones
Letting go of labels reveals the fullness of life - a Ted Talk by Heather Lanier
Whenever possible we will post CTC Connections Parent/Professional Training Webinar Recordings and Presentation Slides here along with recordings from various agencies and organizations. Click the links for access.
SCARC Pro Se Guardianship Webinar Recording
The Community Living Education Project (CLEP) Past Webinar Recordings
BoggsCast: A Podcast by The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development