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- AAUAP – American Association of University Affiliated Programs
- ACF – Administration on Children and Families
- ACH – Arkansas Children’s Hospital
- ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act
- ADAAG – Americans with Disabilities Act Architectural Guidelines
- ADC – Arkansas Disability Coalition –a statewide organization that assists families and individuals with all types of disabilities by providing information, support, resources, and training.
- ADD — Administration on Developmental Disabilities, located within the Administration on Children and Families, a federal regulatory agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.
- ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder
- ADHD – Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder
- ADL – Activities of Daily Living
- AHEC – Arkansas Health Education Center
- AAROC – Arkansas Autism Resource and Outreach Center
- APRIL – Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living
- Autism – a genetically linked, neuro-developmental disorder diagnosed in early childhood. It is characterized by impairments in social interaction, deficits in verbal and non-verbal communication, and repetitive, stereotyped patterns of behavior (definition from Arkansas Autism Resource and Outreach Center’s website).
- ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Asperger’s Syndrome – a developmental autism spectrum disorder that affects a person’s ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others
- Civitan – civic organization that has disability issues as its focus of service
- CYSHCN – Children and youth with special health care needs
- CMS – Children’s Medical Services; located within the Department of Human Services
- CP – Cerebral Palsy
- DAAS – Division of Aging and Adult Services, located within the Department of Human Services
- DD – developmental disability
- DDC – Governor’s Developmental Disability Council (formerly called the Governor’s Developmental Disability Planning Council)
- DDS – Division of Developmental Disability Services located within the Department of Human Services
- DHHS – Department of Health and Human Services, federal agency that includes the Administration on Children and Families and the Administration on Developmental Disabilities.
- DHS – Arkansas Department of Human Services
- DRC — Disability Rights Center of Arkansas, provides advocacy and legal services for people with disabilities in Arkansas. It is the protection and advocacy center for people with disabilities.
- ELL – English Language Learner
- Family to Family Health Information Center – a non-profit family-run organization that assists families of children and youth with special health care needs and the professionals who serve them.
- ICAN – Increasing Capabilities Access Network – provides free loan of assistive devices to people with disabilities to be able to test different equipment and see what works best.
- IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- IEP – Individual Education Program
- IFC/MR – Intermediate Care Facility for People with Intellectual Disabilities (previously called mental retardation)
- IFSP – Individual Family Service Plan
- ILC – Independent Living Center
- Intellectual Disability – preferred term instead of saying “mental retardation”
- LD – Learning Disability
- LEA – Local Education Agency
- MCH – Maternal and Child Health
- NICHCY – National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
- P&A – Protection and Advocacy; provides advocacy and legal services for people with disabilities. In Arkansas, this is the Disability Rights Center of Arkansas.
- Partners for Inclusive Communities – Arkansas’ University Center on Disabilities (AUCD), a department of UAMS, provides training, technical assistance, research and services to promote full inclusion of people with disabilities.
- PASS – Plan to Achieve Self-Sufficiency
- People first language – verbal and written language that focuses on the person not the disability (i.e. use “person with a disability” not “disabled person”).
- SSA – Social Security Administration
- SSDI – Social Security Disability Insurance
- TASH – The American Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps (Disabilities)
- TBI – Traumatic Brain Injury
- TEFRA – Tax Equity Fiscal Responsibility Act; a Medicaid program for children with disabilities and health problems. It is administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS).
- TTY – Text Telephone or Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, allows callers to type messages to each other
- UAMS – University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
- UAP – University Affiliated Program; the name has been changed on the federal level to “University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Services.”
- VA – Veterans Administration