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New York State: Websites by Topic (D - F)

Websites, services, government agencies, and more in NYS.

Websites

Disabilities

ADA Home Page: Information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act: Includes policies and related enforcement information, laws, specialized consumer topics (Guide to Disability Rights Laws, ADA Questions and Answers, ADA Designated Investigative Agencies, ADA Mediation Program), and more. Provided by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Disability and Health in New York State: Sections include: Information on Disability Benefits, On the Job Injuries, Disability Data and Statistics, Fit for Life, A Parent's Guide for Children with Special Needs, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Care at Home: A Handbook for Parents. Provided by the New York State Department of Health.
The New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council: "The New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council is a Federally-funded New York State Agency working under the direction of the Governor's Office. The DDPC is responsible for developing new ways to improve the delivery of services and supports to New Yorkers with developmental disabilities and their families. The Council focuses on community involvement, employment, recreation and housing issues faced by New Yorkers with developmental disabilities and their families."
New York State Justice Center (formerly The Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities - CQCAPD): "The Justice Center is committed to supporting and protecting the health, safety, and dignity of all people with special needs and disabilities through advocacy of their civil rights, prevention of mistreatment, and investigation of all allegations of abuse and neglect so that appropriate actions are taken." CQCAPD documents can still be found at this link.
New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities: "New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities and its associated voluntary agencies offer many services to consumers and their families."
New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH): Information on mental health in New York State as well as cognitive and psychiatric disabilities and related services, programs, and organizations. "The Office of Mental Health (OMH) operates psychiatric centers across the State, and also regulates, certifies and oversees more than 2,500 programs, which are operated by local governments and nonprofit agencies. These programs include various inpatient and outpatient programs, emergency, community support, residential and family care programs."
Office for People With Developmental Disabilities: "The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is responsible for coordinating services for more than 130,000 New Yorkers with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, and other neurological impairments."
Workers with Disabilities Program: "The Governor's Programs to Hire Persons/Veterans with Disabilities consist of two specialized programs. These programs are coordinated efforts to place individuals with disabilities in entry-level State jobs. No initial written or oral examinations are required for appointment. You must however, submit a formal application and a medical evaluation may be necessary for program certification." From New York State Department of Civil Service.

Education

Board of Regents (NY)

New York State Education Department: Board of Regents
New York State Regents Exams: Past Regents Exams, including English Language Arts, Languages Other Than English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science.

See also the Test Preparation section of our Ready Reference guide.

BOCES - Board of Cooperative Educational Services

BOCES: Boards of Cooperative Educational Services. From the New York State Education Department.

Colleges & Universities

City University of New York (CUNY)
State University of New York (SUNY)

TASC / High School Equivalency Tests / NDEP

New York State High School Equivalency (HSE) Office - Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) (formerly New York State GED Testing Office): "New York State has selected a new high school equivalency test called the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) to replace the General Educational Development (GED) as the primary pathway to a New York State High School Equivalency Diploma effective January 2, 2014. The TASC is a secure, reliable and valid instrument that is used to verify that examinees have knowledge in core content areas equivalent to that of graduating high school seniors. There are five tests in the TASC test Battery: Reading, Writing, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics. The tests take approximately nine hours to complete and include a direct writing assessment. To ensure that the content and skills measured by the tests remain closely matched to contemporary high school curriculum, the tests undergo regular review." See also the Test Preparation section of our Ready Reference guide.
The National External Diploma Program (NDEP): "The Third Pathway to a NYS High School Equivalency Diploma." From the New York State Education Department.

New York State Education Department

Directory of Public and Private Schools in NYS
Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education, New York State Education Department
New York State Education Department Home Page: Information for teachers, students, parents and guardians, and residents of NYS. Includes teaching standards.
New York State Learning Standards and Core Curriculum (formerly "New York State Learning Standards, Assessment and Resources in Core Subject Areas"): Topics include: Arts, Career Development & Occupational Studies, English Language Arts, Health, Physical Education, Family & Consumer Sciences, Languages Other Than English, Mathematics, Science, Technology, Social Studies, and New York State Alternate Assessment Frameworks.
Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services (ACCES), New York State Education Department
Office of Cultural Education, New York State Education Department
Office of Higher Education, New York State Education Department
Office of Special Education, New York State Education Department
Office of the Professions, New York State Education Department
Office of Teaching Initiatives, New York State Education Department: Teacher certification and more information.

New York City Department of Education


New York City Department of Education: Schools, offices, agencies, programs, news, and more.

Schools - Local (Middletown, NY & surrounding areas)

Click here for schools listed in our Local Information guide

Schools - Statewide (NY)

Directory of School District Websites: From the New York State Education Department.
New York State Center for School Safety (NYSCSS): "In cooperation and collaboration with the New York State Education Department/Office of Student Support Services, Measurement Incorporated operates the New York State Center for School Safety. The Center offers a statewide professional development and technical assistance center providing direct support to schools and districts in creating and maintaining safe and healthy learning environments for all New York State students."

Schools - Report Cards - Performance of NYS Public Schools:

School Report Cards

Students - Grants, Loans & Financial Aid, Services

Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC): "The Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) is New York State's higher education student financial aid agency. HESC Administers: New York's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP); 20 State scholarship and loan forgiveness programs; College Access Challenge Grant (CACG) Program; New York's 529 College Savings Program, with the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC); Financial aid outreach programs for students and families."
Scholarships for Academic Excellence: From the State Education Department.
Student Support Services (SSS): Regional school improvement and community services.

Teachers & Teacher Certification (NY)

New York State Teachers Retirement System
New York State United Teachers (NYSUT): "We are dedicated to improving not only our working conditions, but also our professions. We're united in a common commitment to improve the quality of education and healthcare for the people of New York."
Office of Teaching Initiatives: From the New York State Education Department
Office of the Professions

Elections

New York City Board of Elections
New York State Board of Elections
New York State Election Law
Voting in New York State: Voter registration information.

Emergencies, Natural Disasters, and Severe Weather Advisories

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): National website
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): New York State: "Region II: Serving New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands."
New York Alert (NYAlert.gov): "Welcome to the New York State All-Hazards Alert and Notification web-based portal. It is part of New York State's ongoing commitment to provide New Yorkers with information so that they will understand the risks and threats that they may face and know how to respond accordingly. This website contains critical emergency-related information including instructions and recommended protective actions developed in real-time by emergency service personnel. Concurrent with the posting to this website, that same information will be disseminated through various communications systems (e.g. email, cell phones, media outlets) to those who sign up."
New York State Department of Health: News, advisories, and information.
New York State Disaster Preparedness Commission (DPC): "The responsibilities of the Disaster Preparedness Commission (DPC) include: the preparation of State disaster plans; the direction of State disaster operations and coordinating those with local government operations; and the coordination of federal, State and private recovery efforts."
New York State Emergency Management Office: "For more than 50 years, the New York State Office of Emergency Management and its predecessor agencies have been responsible for coordinating the activities of all State agencies to protect New York's communities, the State's economic well-being, and the environment from natural and man-made disasters and emergencies. NYS OEM routinely assists local governments, voluntary organizations, and private industry through a variety of emergency management programs including hazard identification, loss prevention, planning, training, operational response to emergencies, technical support, and disaster recovery assistance."
New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM): "Established in 1996, NYC Emergency Management is a coordinating agency for the City of New York. The agency plans and prepares for emergencies, educates the public about preparedness, coordinates emergency response and recovery, and collects and disseminates emergency information."
New York State National Weather Service: Sections include: Hourly (State Weather Roundup), State Forecast, Zone Forecast, Short Term (NOWCASTS), Forecast Discussion, Weather Summary, Public Information, Climate Data, Hydrological Data, Watches, Special Weather Statements, Warnings and Advisories, Fire Weather, Current Observations.
Orange County, New York Government: Emergency Information: Includes a directory of telephone numbers and related information.
Weather.gov: Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for New York: Issued by the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS)

Environment and Outdoor Activities

Environmental Protection and Conservation

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Region II: "Region II: Serving New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and 7 Tribal Nations."
New York Nature Explorer: A Gateway to New York's Biodiversity: "Nature Explorer currently contains information on birds, reptiles, amphibians, rare animals, rare plants, and significant natural communities." From the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
New York State Department of Enviromental Conservation (DEC)
New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation

Outdoor Activities, Recreation, and Sports

Amusements
Outdoor Adventures
Places to Go
Nature

Outdoor Recreation: "On this website you will find information about: New York's diverse public lands, including locations, facilities, allowed uses, and special rules; Licenses, permits and rules governing outdoor pursuits in New York; DEC campgrounds, ski center, trails and other special facilities; How-to and safety tips, along with outdoor manners and courtesy." Includes information on fishing and hunting licenses.
From ILoveNY.com (please scroll down each of their page for information):

Entertainment

General Information

Amusements & Family Fun: Overview of activities. From ILoveNY.com / New York Department of Economic Development.

Music

Carnegie Hall
Lincoln Center
Madison Square Garden
Metropolitan Opera
PollStar: Concert information
Radio City Music Hall
Times Union Center - in Albany, NY: Formerly the Pepsi Arena.
West Point (USMA - U.S. Military Academy): Events information and performances at Eisenhower Hall.

Television

Educational Television/Public Broadcasting: From the New York State Education Department Office of Educational Television & Public Broadcasting.
Educational Television/Public Broadcasting: Public television, public radio stations, news
Television Network Pages: Television network resources from our Entertainment web guide

Theatre

Broadway.com: Show descriptions and schedules, ticket information
Broadway, Theatre, and links to other events: from our Entertainment web guide