Agency helps families find child services.

Byline: Joe Harwood The Register-Guard

When Star's oldest daughter entered middle school and couldn't read at even a second-grade level, the mother of two disabled children didn't know where to turn.

"I had no idea what to do or who to talk to," said Star, who asked that her last name not be used. "I had a friend who suggested I call Direction Service. I did, and they came in right away to help get her tutors and counselors."

The small agency has been helping Lane County families who have children with disabilities since 1977. Direction Service serves as both an information clearinghouse - by steering families to the agencies that can most help them - and as an advocate by helping families navigate government red tape.

Star's daughter, Noreen, has severe mental and physical handicaps. Not only could Noreen not read, but by the time she was 12, Star says, she had "spent half her life in the hospital."

Direction Service stepped in and encouraged Noreen's school to provide services such as tutors and a specialized education plan. And a Direction Service staff member attended meetings with school officials to make sure Noreen was getting the help she needed.

"They came in and did anything she needed to graduate and not fall too far behind," Star said. With help from the agency and the services provided by the Springfield School District, Noreen graduated in 1998.

"I would recommend them to anybody who needs help with a disabled child," Star said. Her other daughter, Megan, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and learning disabilities.

"Megan was getting ready to drop out of school," Star said. "If Direction Service wouldn't have been there to guide us to where we are now, she would have."

Megan is slated to graduate from high school this spring - as a junior.

"Families who have kids with disabilities are often times overwhelmed by the kinds of decisions they face and the complexity of what is called the service delivery system," said Marshall Peter, executive director of Direction Service.

It's a daunting task for the uninitiated to navigate the multiple agencies and institutions that provide services, Peter said, and the complex application procedures can be frustrating.

"People say it's a lot like parachuting into a foreign country," Peter said. "You don't know the language, you don't have the currency and you don't know your way around."

The approximately $30,000 the United Way gave the agency this year comes close to supporting one full-time position with Direction Service's Family Support and Service Coordination program. "United Way's support is absolutely vital to us," Peter said.

The agency, headquartered in at 3411 Willamette St. in Eugene, also runs a mental health counseling service on Olive Street and the Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution In Special Education.

Across all of its programs, the agency has 28 employees and about 1,600 open cases.

Peter estimates Direction Service has information on 500 local organizations and support groups to help families with disabled children. He said the agency also has links to "tens of thousands" of service and support groups across the country.

Direction Service was founded in 1977 as part of a U.S. Department of Education pilot program that sought to create a one-stop shop for people with special needs. In 1982, Direction Service formed as its own nonprofit agency.

The federal government launched the pilot program after a RAND Corp. study found that disabled children were often not finding the appropriate mix of services that were available, Peter said. "They weren't seeing the kinds of outcomes that were possible if (the children) got the kinds of resources already available to address their needs."

Peter said the agency's primary mission has always been to help people with special needs. But that doesn't mean Direction Service does all the work. Parents and other family members are guided to become a child's chief advocate, he said.

"The families we work with are stunningly resourceful, devoted families who love their kids and come to us to make sure they are doing OK for their kids," Peter said. "These are people who succeed through sheer determination."