Every family in New York — from New York City to the smallest town in the North Country — has the same powerful set of FREE statewide programs for a child with disabilities or delays. You don't need a diagnosis, a lawyer, or money to start. This page is your map to the help New York already owes your child: free early intervention, free parent-rights experts, free legal advocacy, free vocational rehabilitation for teens, and Medicaid programs that pay for therapy even at higher incomes — plus your special-education rights and the exact evaluation timeline the school must follow. Start with the free programs below; then, you'll find free guides and templates to build your plan.
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New York's Early Intervention Program (run by the State Department of Health) gives free developmental evaluation and services — speech, occupational, physical, and developmental therapy — to any child birth to 3 with a delay or qualifying condition, anywhere in the state, usually delivered in your home or child-care setting. There is no income test and no diagnosis required to be evaluated. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler.
Each county (and New York City) has an Early Intervention Official who runs local intake. Use the State Department of Health's county EIP contact list — or in NYC call 311 — to make a referral. They come to you, and a service coordinator walks you through every step.
INCLUDEnyc is the federally funded Parent Training and Information Center for New York City's five boroughs, giving free, one-to-one help to families of children birth to 26 — understanding your rights, the evaluation, and the IEP/CSE process, with strong multilingual support. Call before you pay any private advocate.
Starbridge (Rochester) is the federally funded Parent Training and Information Center serving New York State outside the five boroughs and Long Island — free workshops, one-to-one guidance, and help understanding special-education rights and the CSE process. Advocates for Children of New York also offers free help to NYC families.
Disability Rights New York is the state's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency, providing free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are being denied — including help with disputes, restraint/seclusion, and discipline. A powerful no-cost resource before you hire a lawyer.
ACCES-VR (Adult Career and Continuing Education Services–Vocational Rehabilitation) provides free help for students with disabilities to prepare for work, college, and independent living — Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) for students ages 14–22, plus counseling, training, and assistive technology. Ask your VR counselor to join your child's transition IEP meetings.
New York's Children's Waiver (a single 1915(c) HCBS waiver, unified in 2019) and the OPWDD Comprehensive (HCBS) Waiver can pay for therapies, respite, care coordination, and services for a child with significant disabilities — and crucially, eligibility looks at the child's needs and counts only the child's income, NOT the parents'. New York does not run a separate stand-alone Katie Beckett/TEFRA state-plan option; instead these income-waiving HCBS waivers are the pathway, so the single most important move is to start the application and get your child enrolled or onto any interest list TODAY.
For a child with a developmental disability, OPWDD intake (Front Door) opens the door to waiver services. For children already on Medicaid or Child Health Plus, medically necessary speech, OT, PT, and ABA are covered — an immediate path to services while a waiver application is in process. Call OPWDD's Front Door or your local Medicaid office to begin.
You can refer your child to the Committee on Special Education (CSE) in writing at any time. Under New York rule §200.4, the district must respond to your written referral within 10 school days. Once you sign consent, districts must complete the evaluation within 60 calendar days statewide (in New York City, 30 school days), then hold a CSE/IEP meeting. Put the request in writing and date it — the clock starts then. You have the right to everything in your language, to bring anyone to the meeting, and to disagree.
Under IDEA you have the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE), to a full evaluation at no cost, to be an equal member of the IEP/CSE team, to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) if you disagree, and to dispute-resolution (mediation/impartial hearing). Your PTI above explains all of it for free.
The New York State Education Department's Office of Special Education (now part of the unified OSEA office) sets the rules every district must follow, runs the state-complaint, mediation, and impartial-hearing systems, and publishes guidance on dyslexia and structured literacy. Start here to know what the state requires of your school.
Use the ZIP finder to pull the nearest evaluators, therapists, and special-education schools to your address, plus your metro's full directory — and these statewide free programs are always shown, no matter how rural your town.
Several reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech/OT/ABA by telehealth across New York — vital for families upstate and in rural counties. Nationally, COPAA (advocates/attorneys), the Academy of Orton-Gillingham (dyslexia), ABPP (board-certified evaluators), BHCOE (ABA), and Bookshare (free accessible books) round out your options.
Federally funded and free — they help New York families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
New York's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
Start with the free guides — your child’s IEP and the evaluation — so you know what the school owes your child.
Use a free letter template to request an evaluation or meeting, and the IEP checkup to test every goal.
Pick a credential-vetted advocate or evaluator from the directory above — free to browse, and never pay-to-play.
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How do I start the special-education process in New York?
Put your request in writing to your child's school, asking for a full special-education evaluation — that is the legal first step. On A New Story you'll find a free, ready-to-send evaluation-request letter you can use today.
How long does a special-education evaluation take?
Once you give written consent, the school generally must complete the evaluation and hold an eligibility meeting within a set timeline (often around 60 days, though it varies by state). Putting your request in writing starts the clock.
Can my school district pay for a private special-education school?
Sometimes. If the public school can't provide an appropriate education, the district can be required to fund a state-approved nonpublic placement. It isn't automatic — it takes the right evaluation and advocacy — but families do it every year, including ones with limited funds.
What's the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?
An IEP provides specialized instruction and services under IDEA; a 504 plan provides accommodations under civil-rights law. A New Story's free guides walk you through which one fits your child.
Where can I find free special-education help in New York?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in New York — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.