Family to Family Network, Southwest, Bristol

The Family to Family Network of Virginia (F2F), an initiative of the Center for Family Involvement at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Partnership for People with Disabilities, provides family members of children and young adults with disabilities with family contacts in their own communities to call upon in their efforts to identify and obtain needed information, services and community supports.

In addition, there are cultural liaisons available that provide specific support for the following communities: African-American, Autism, Behavioral and Mental Health, Blind and Visual Impairment, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Latino, Military, and Traumatic Brain Injury.

The local F2F networks provide:

• 1:1 emotional, informational, and disability and community services and systems navigational support
• Family-friendly information and resource referrals on topics such as special education and early intervention services, health care and related financing (such as private insurance, Tricare and Medicaid), disability services, and other community resources
• Expertise in military services for military families
• Expertise in autism through partnerships with local autism groups
• Expertise in deaf culture through collaboration with Hands & Voices
• Expertise in mental and behavioral health through collaboration with NAMI
• Leadership development to support families in advocating for and participating in the design of more family-friendly, effective service systems
• Connections to cultural brokers from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.