Helping people with disabilities and special needs live the fullest lives possible.
Direction Service, founded in 1976, is a multi-program human service agency located in Lane County, Oregon. Direction Service is dedicated to empowering people with special needs, and their families, to live their lives to the fullest. Three major program areas operate under Direction Service. They include: Family Services, the Counseling Center, and the Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE).
Family Services provides an array of services for children and youth with disabilities, behavioral or medical health needs, and other special needs by providing information and assistance; service coordination; comprehensive planning and wraparound facilitation to meet the individual needs of each child and their families; and supporting and advocating for families as they work to meet these critical needs.
The Counseling Center provides a full range of mental health services to very young children, children and adolescents, families, adults, and elders. These services include: comprehensive assessment, treatment planning, individual and family therapy, skill building, group therapy and consultation.
The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the US Department of Education and works to increase the nation’s capacity to prevent and resolve special education and early intervention disputes by fostering productive home/school/provider partnerships and the use of collaborative processes to improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities. CADRE assists states with implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) procedural safeguards provisions and the development of high-performing dispute resolution systems through the identification and dissemination of exemplary practices related to program design, implementation, evaluation and improvement.