Single Point of Access (SPOA) is part of the NYS Office of Mental Health's (OMH) 2000-2001 initiatives designed to expand the county's existing community based mental health system and help make it a more cohesive and better coordinated system. The goal is to create a system that promotes recovery-oriented services, which are widely available, flexible, personally tailored and responsive to individual needs. Individual's preferences will be integrated into the process. All referrals and transitions between programs and services will be entered into a database, in order to monitor who receives services, who does not, alternative recommendations, and the actual mental health residential and case management needs. There will be periodic reassessment and monitoring of an individual's need for a particular level of care/service.

SPOA Coordinators connect people with serious mental illness to mental health services.

This guidebook gives caregivers the tools they need to understand how mental illness might look in a person with a developmental disability, and information on what to do and where to go for help. It was written in order to help caregivers to partner with health care providers. This guidebook was originally written in 2011 and was revised in 2015. It was created for the New York State Institute for Health Transition Training with grant support from the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.

Regional associates at the Quality Assurance office located in your school district will answer questions about special education. Within each office, Regional Associates, who are employees of the State Education Department, are assigned to specific school districts and special education programs. The Regional Associate oversees preschool and school-age special education services and serves as a resource to parents, school district personnel, and private providers. Responsibilities include:

• Conduct Quality Assurance Reviews of public and private special education programs. The purpose of the review is to determine compliance with federal and State special education laws and regulations. Areas of strength and weakness in regard to effective evaluation and instructional practices are identified as part of the review process. The goal of the review is to make programs more effective and to positively affect student results.
• Provide technical assistance to parents, school district personnel, and special education programs.
• Provide general information regarding services for students with disabilities to parents, school district personnel, private providers, and other stakeholders.
• Oversee certain grant applications for the expenditure of federal IDEA  funds.
• Investigate complaints alleging a public or private special education program's noncompliance with federal or state law or regulation pertaining to the education of students with disabilities.

The Special Education Quality Assurance Regional Offices. When contacting the regional office, please identify your county, school district, or special education program so that you may be directed to the appropriate Regional Associate.