Every family in Virginia — from Northern Virginia to the Eastern Shore to the smallest town in Southwest Virginia — 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 Virginia 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 family 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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The Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia is the Commonwealth's IDEA Part C system, run by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS). It gives free developmental evaluation and services — speech, occupational, physical, and developmental therapy — to any child from birth through age two who isn't developing as expected or has a condition that can cause delay, delivered in your home and community. There is no income test and no diagnosis required. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler.
Infant & Toddler Connection services are delivered through about 40 local lead agencies across Virginia — use the ITCVA site to find the program serving your city or county, or call 2-1-1. They come to you. (At age 2, the team helps you transition to your school division for IDEA Part B preschool services.)
Virginia's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center gives free, confidential one-to-one consultations, workshops, webinars, and fact sheets to help you understand your rights, the evaluation, and the IEP process — with Spanish-language support. Trained parent specialists, funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Education. Call before you pay any private advocate.
This free state resource explains the special-education process in plain language, answers common questions, lays out Virginia's timelines, and helps you find services in your locality — a useful companion to PEATC.
Virginia's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency (the dLCV) provides free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education or disability rights are being denied — including help with disputes, restraint and seclusion, discipline, and access to services. A powerful no-cost resource before you hire a lawyer.
The Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) provides free help for students with disabilities — starting at age 14 — to prepare for work, college, and independent living. Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) cover career exploration, work-based learning, workplace readiness, and self-advocacy, followed by full Vocational Rehabilitation services. Every school division has an assigned DARS counselor — ask yours to join your child's transition IEP meetings.
Virginia's Developmental Disability Waivers (Family & Individual Supports, Community Living, and Building Independence, administered by DBHDS) can pay for therapies, respite, supported employment, and many other services for a child with developmental or intellectual disabilities, including autism. Eligibility is based on the child's needs and income — not the parents' income. The DD waitlist is years long, so the single most important move is to get on the waiting list TODAY through your local Community Services Board (CSB).
Virginia does NOT run a separate Katie Beckett/TEFRA program — instead, its 1915(c) waivers already count only the child's income, not the parents'. The CCC Plus Waiver (administered by DMAS) covers in-home care, private-duty nursing, assistive technology, and home modifications for medically fragile or disabled children and usually has no waitlist, and may be used while you wait for a DD Waiver. For kids already on Medicaid/FAMIS, EPSDT covers medically necessary speech, OT, and ABA right away. Apply for everything.
You can ask your school division in writing for a special-education evaluation at any time. Under Virginia regulations, once the special-education administrator receives the referral, the division must complete the evaluation and hold the eligibility meeting within 65 business days. Put the request in writing and date it — the clock starts then. You have the right to a copy of the evaluation report before the meeting, to everything in your language, to bring anyone you choose, 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). PEATC above explains all of it for free, and Virginia's procedural safeguards notice is on the VDOE site.
The Virginia Department of Education's Special Education office sets the rules every school division must follow and runs the dispute-resolution systems — state complaints, mediation, and due-process hearings (file via ODRAS@doe.virginia.gov), plus a Special Education Ombudsman for non-legal help. VDOE also publishes a dyslexia guidance document and learning-disability resources. 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 Virginia — vital for families in rural Southwest and Southside Virginia and the Eastern Shore. 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 Virginia families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Virginia'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 Virginia?
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 Virginia?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Virginia — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.