As parents and/or caregivers of our children who receive Early Intervention services through the state of Arizona (regardless if it is directly through AzEIP, or DDD(Division of Developmental Disabilities), or ASDB(Arizona School for the Deaf and the Blind) we can reach out and support and educate each other. This is also an opportunity to hear what is going on in the Early Intervention community.

Have you ever felt like you only hear half the story? Had questions you'd like to ask others who also have children who have developmental disabilities? Want to better understand what is going on at the State level? Want to know who to talk to, about services, other than your Service Coordinator?

I am a mom who has four children, three of whom have Developmental Delays - two of which received services through AzEIP/DDD. I wish four years ago, when I was going through this time in my life I had a place I could go to to ask questions, find out reliable information (loved my therapists, but they did not help me be better informed). I have had a lot of experiences and have taken advantage of a lot of learning opportunities. I want to have a place where we can openly talk about concerns and questions that we all have, had, or will have.

I also know that it is by uniting together that we can make our voices heard and help the State and state agencies to better understand what our needs actually are. I will be sharing, especially at this time (Feb 2009) information about what is going on with state funding and when and how we can share our voices and the voices of our children.

I have been part of other YahooGroups and want to have a positive experience for all. For this reason I want to be able to have open discussions but I request that everyone be respectful of other people's differing cultures and beliefs.

Participation in this group is based off of you being either a parent or caregiver of a child receiving services through AzEIP past or present.