All Abilities Program Director

Dana Hopkins, LCSW-R

(845) 486-3434

dhopkins@dutchessny.gov

EI Official and Director of Preschool Special Education Programs

Coordinator of Children with Special Needs Services

Ages birth through 5 years old

Janine Fitzmaurice, LCSW

(845) 486-3518

jfitzmaurice@dutchessny.gov

CSPOA and Children & Youth Services Coordinator

Deborah Disanza, LCSW-R

(845) 486-2768

ddisanza@dutchessny.gov

If this is an emergency and you need immediate assistance please contact 911

Crisis Counseling, Support, Information & Referrals

Dutchess County HELPLINE 

Toll free: (877) 485-9700

Stabilization Center

(845) 485-9700

NY State Central Register for Child Abuse 

(800-342-3720)

 

 

General Contact

For non-urgent questions or feedback on the website

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ThinkDIFFERENTLY Events

Dutchess County Government can not guarantee that all events listed in the ‘Community Calendar’ and the”ThinkDIFFERENTLY” Events sponsored by Dutchess County Government calendars will be fully accessible.
Specific information regarding the ‘The Community’ calendar events can be obtained directly from that event’s organizer. Information on “ThinkDIFFERENTLY” events sponsored by Dutchess County Government’ can be obtained through our Contact Us form.

ThinkDIFFERENTLY Conference 2021

The 5th Annual ThinkDIFFERENTLY Collaboration of Services and Care Across the Life Span for People with Special Needs Conference will be hosted virtually on December 2nd. This conference will guide families and providers through a series of discussions with a focus on planning for the care of someone with special needs. This year’s keynote speaker will be Karla Vermeulen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology at SUNY New Paltz. Our goal is to explore the benefits of collaborating and improving negotiating skills for services.

RSVP is open now!

www.dutchessny.gov/tdconference 

See more details.

Dutchess County IDD Training Event

Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health and ThinkDIFFERENTLY are excited to offer a new training event! This full-day training will be hosted via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, November 17th from 10am-3:15pm . It will offer a presentation titled “Trauma in Childhood”, presented by Jill Hinton, Ph.D. & Magen McMahon, as well as “Sexuality & IDD”, presented by Stephanie Fisher, M.S., LMHC CASAC. There is also an opportunity to earn Social Work CEU’s. Please click here for an event flyer and agenda for the day. You can also register for the training by clicking here. For any questions, please send an email to spierson@dutchessny.gov

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Stay Tuned for more from ThinkDIFFERENTLY!

Thank you for joining us for ThinkDIFFERENTLY Fitness & Field Day and for visiting us at the Dutchess County Fair! Stay tuned while we plan our next ThinkDIFFERENTLY event! Be sure to check out our community calendar to see what our agency partners have going on!

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ThinkDIFFERENTLY Thursday at the Dutchess County Fair

Join us for a sensory-sensitive morning at the Dutchess County Fair on Thursday, August 26th! Gates will open early at 9am to help families enjoy the fair ahead of the crowds. Also, from 9:30am-12pm, the lights and sounds on the midway will be reduced for a stress-free experience. ***Tickets are required and are only being sold online this year***For more information on the Dutchess County Fair and to buy your tickets, check out www.dutchessfair.com

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ThinkDIFFERENTLY Fitness & Field Day 2021

We’re Back!

We are VERY excited to announce the first ThinkDIFFERENTLY Fitness & Field Day on Thursday, July 22nd! This day filled with fun, fitness & lunch in beautiful Bowdoin Park! Register today at www.dutchessny.gov/TDFieldDay !

Thank you!

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April 2, 2021 – Light it Up Blue – with Kindness !

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ThinkDIFFERENTLY New Year

From all of us at ThinkDIFFERENTLY, we wish you and your loved ones a happy and safe holiday season! We look forward to seeing you in 2022 and are hopeful for a healthy New Year for all!

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ThinkDIFFERENTLY

The ThinkDIFFERENTLY Collaboration of Services and Care Across the Life Span for People with Special Needs Conference will be held on December 3rd in a new virtual format! This conference will guide families and providers through a series of discussions with a focus on planning for the care of someone with special needs. Our goal is to explore the benefits of collaborating and improving negotiating skills for services.

RSVP is open now!
Collaboration of Services – 2020 Flyer FINAL

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ThinkDIFFERENTLY Drive-Thru Picnic!

We are proud to announce the 2020 ThinkDIFFERENTLY Drive-Thru Picnic! This event will be held on Tuesday, September 1st, from 11am-1pm at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. Please RSVP by 8/26 at  http://www.dutchessny.gov/picnicrsvp . We can’t wait to see you there!

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Think Ahead Open House

For Progressive Students and Families.

Learn about Think Ahead, an exciting program for adults with
intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Meet current Think
Ahead participants and find out if the program is right for your loved
one. Applications for the 2020/2020 academic year are now
available, and due by July 4, 2020.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
11:00am am – 12:30-pm

Click Here to RSVP: Register for Virtual Zoom Conference.

More information (PDF): Click here to register for more information on Virtual Conference.

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