Special Education Spotlight Oakland: Resources for Students, Teachers, and Parents

Residents of the Bay Area city of Oakland, California, who are in need of special education support, programs or legal advice will find a few organizations providing the information they might be seeking.

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Within the city of Oakland itself, special education resources are somewhat limited, but parents, teachers and students can often look to nearby areas for educational, recreational and legal programs and information through state and national public and nonprofit organizations.

Oakland Educational Resources for Special Education

Oakland Unified School District’s Special Education Office offers Programs for Exceptional Children (PEC), which modifies academic programs and provides social skills development for special needs students in both charter and non-charter schools. The district also supplies psychological counseling and consultative services. In addition, the Special Education Office manages an occupational therapy program and reading clinic.

Raskob Day School and Learning Institute is a non-profit organization based in Oakland. It offers a school, clinic and diagnostic program for students with learning disabilities.

WestEd, a nonprofit agency with a regional office in Oakland, California, offers services designed to help teachers and schools deliver improved special education instruction and programs through its Center for Prevention and Early Intervention (CPEI) and Learning Innovations (LI). These services include teacher coaching and collaborative assistance.

Special Education Parent and Student Resources in Oakland

United Cerebral Palsy of the Golden Gate is located in Oakland. The organization offers an afterschool care program that enables special needs students to work with a recreation assistant. The website also provides links to many other resources, including child care services, support groups, recreational programs and state and national special education organizations.

Other special needs organizations, while not based in Oakland, are located in or close to nearby San Francisco and can offer services to those in Oakland. These include:

• Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area: provides support and networking groups, workshops and conferences
• Institute for the Advancement of Psychotherapy’s Center Bay Area Center for ADD/ADHD: offers family therapy as well as support services for teachers and tutors of special education students
• Northern California Branch of the International Dyslexia Association: provides a referral service, teacher training programs and links to helpful articles
• Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California: hosts summer camps, support groups and school personnel training programs
• Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area: has parent to parent support programs and resources for new or expecting parents of children with Down Syndrome

Based in San Leandro, California, about ten miles south of Oakland, CHADD (Children and Adults with AD/HD) of Northern California services Oakland and surrounding areas. CHADD offers parent training sessions, support meetings and lectures in and near Oakland. The website also provides links to national associations and foundations for those with disabilities.

Ala Costa Center, with a location in Oakland, has after-school and camp programs designed to help special needs children improve their academic and social skills. A Respite Program, one of only a few of its kind in the area, provides recreational activities and trips for special needs children on some Friday evenings and Saturdays.

Parents of special education students in Oakland who are seeking legal support for possible disputes with the school system or assistance with IEP development can turn to California Special Needs Law Group (CSNLG). The firm provides services throughout the state.