Every family in Rhode Island — from Providence to Westerly to Block Island — 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 Rhode Island already owes your child: free early intervention, free parent-rights experts, free legal advocacy, free vocational rehabilitation for teens, and Medicaid programs (including Katie Beckett) that pay for therapy even when family income is too high for regular Medicaid — 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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Rhode Island's Early Intervention Program (run by the Executive Office of Health & Human Services, EOHHS) 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. There is no income test and no diagnosis required. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler.
Early Intervention is delivered by certified provider agencies across Rhode Island — use the EOHHS Early Intervention page to find the one serving your community, or call 2-1-1. They come to you, and the transition to your school district's preschool special education is planned before your child turns 3.
RIPIN is Rhode Island's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free, one-to-one help understanding your rights, the evaluation, and the IEP/504 process, with bilingual support. Their family resource specialists are often parents who have navigated it themselves. Call RIPIN before you pay any private advocate.
RIPIN's call center answers questions about evaluations, IEPs, 504 plans, health coverage, and benefits — free and bilingual. A quick way to get pointed to the right help fast.
Disability Rights Rhode Island is the state's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency — free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are being denied, including help with disputes, restraint/seclusion, discipline, and transition. A powerful no-cost resource before you ever hire a lawyer.
Rhode Island's Office of Rehabilitation Services (ORS), part of the Department of Human Services, provides free Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) for students with disabilities ages 14–21 who have an IEP or 504 plan — job-exploration counseling, work-based learning, workplace-readiness training, and self-advocacy. There is no formal application; school staff make the referral. Ask for ORS to join your child's transition IEP meetings.
Rhode Island offers a Katie Beckett (TEFRA) Medicaid pathway through EOHHS: a child under 19 with a serious disability or complex medical needs can get full Medicaid based on the CHILD's own income and clinical needs — NOT the parents' income — if the child lives at home and requires an institutional level of care. There is no direct family cost. This is one of the most important applications a Rhode Island family can make. Apply as early as possible.
Once a child has Medicaid (through Katie Beckett or regular eligibility), Rhode Island's 1115 demonstration opens home- and community-based services: Home-Based Therapeutic Services (HBTS), ABA, Personal Assistance Services and Supports (PASS), home nursing, the Kids Connect program, and respite. Ask EOHHS or RIPIN how to access each one — and get your child's name on every list now, because some have waits.
You can ask your school district in writing for a special-education evaluation at any time. In Rhode Island, an evaluation team must meet within 10 school days of your referral to decide what's needed; once you sign consent, the evaluation starts within 10 school days, and within 60 calendar days of your consent the written evaluation report is ready and the eligibility team meets. 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 team, to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) if you disagree, and to dispute resolution (mediation, state complaint, or due process). RIDE publishes the Rhode Island Procedural Safeguards Notice, and your PTI (RIPIN) above explains all of it for free.
The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) sets the special-education regulations every district must follow, runs the state complaint, mediation, and due-process systems, and publishes guidance on dyslexia and specific learning disabilities. Start here to know exactly what the state requires of your school and how to file a complaint if it falls short.
Use the ZIP finder to pull the nearest evaluators, therapists, and special-education schools to your address, plus your area's full directory — and these statewide free programs are always shown, no matter where in Rhode Island you live.
Reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech/OT/ABA by telehealth across Rhode Island — helpful when local waitlists are long. 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 Rhode Island families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Rhode Island'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 Rhode Island?
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 Rhode Island?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Rhode Island — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.