Adopting Children with Disabilities Resource Guide
Tens of thousands of children with disabilities are languishing in foster care. If you’re interested in finding out about the challenges, rewards and supports available to those who choose to adopt them, visit these sites.
The website of a nonprofit organization that matches children with special needs with permanent families, this site features information about the adoption process, pictures and profiles of available children, adoption specialists throughout the U.S., related links, and more.
This website on adoption and special needs treats the two subjects separately, but offers useful links on both. Its annotated lists of discussion group (listservs) are especially worthwhile.
If you are seriously interested in adopting a child with special needs, contact The National Adoption Center to receive an e-mail information packet on adopting children with special needs from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds.
National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (NAIC)
Offers several useful publications, including:
Adopting a Child with Special Needs (discusses developmental disabilities and adoption, what Is a developmental disability?, types of disabilities, challenges of adopting a child with developmental disabilities, sources of support and information, including an excellent list of links)
Adopting Children with Developmental Disabilities (discuses what does “special needs” mean?, who may adopt a child with special needs?, parenting children with special needs, the first step, the matching process, the cost, financial support, available services, and additional resources)
Based at Spaulding for Children, the Center provides information about about its services and resources, and training. While most of its services are for Michigan residents, training and online resources are national in scope.
NACAC is a national organization that advocates the right of every child to a permanent, continuous, nurturing and culturally sensitive family, and presses for the legal adoptive placement of any child denied that right. Its focus is on hard-to-place children, including those with disabilities.
Part of adoption.com, an extensive commercial website, this website provides information about specific disabilities and a variety of articles dealing with different aspects of adopting children with disabilities.