The PEAL Center

The work of the Parent Education and Advocacy Leadership (PEAL) Center reflects a resounding call to parents, professionals and persons living with disabilities to join in celebrating our common bonds and to be the collective voice that reverberates in our communities. The PEAL Center serves families of children with disabilities and special health care needs providing information and training on education issues in Western and Central Pennsylvania and on health care needs statewide.

The Parent Education + Advocacy Leadership Center was established in October 2005 as an organization of parents of children with disabilities reaching out to assist other parents and professionals. The PEAL mission is to ensure that children, youth, and adults with disabilities and special health care needs lead rich, active lives and participate as full members of their schools and communities by providing training, information, and technical assistance based on best practices to individuals, families and all people who support them.

The PEAL Center provides:

1. Individual assistance and referral to parents and professionals to help identify needed community resources such as medical, educational or human services.
2. Resources that include a quarterly newsletter, a growing resource library and a website (www.pealcenter.org) with lists of resources and links to other agencies, and calendar of upcoming events.
3. Workshops and training on education issues in the 43 counties covered by the parent training and information center, and training on health care issues and home and community supports statewide.
4. An annual inclusive education conference that provides an opportunity to learn from nationally recognized presenters about community participation and inclusion, effective strategies on inclusive education, and parent leadership in children's health care and community supports.