We are committed to improving the lives and education of ALL children everyday.

- Our friendly and knowledgeable Parent Educators
- State and local resources
- North Carolina's Parent Training and Information (PTI) Center
- North Carolina DeafBlind Project
- North Carolina State Improvement Project (NCSIP)
- And more!
Our Mission
- The Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center is a statewide, non-profit parent organization committed to improving the lives and education of children with disabilities and special health care needs.
Values Statement
- At ECAC, our work is guided and informed by our core values and principles that are the foundation of our workplace. We are an organization that works to make everyone feel valued and accepted. We maintain an open-minded approach when assisting families and working with the community and each other to establish trust. ECAC is committed to improving outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and/or special healthcare needs and their families.

Click Here to read about what we believe and what we do and do not do.

Providing resources, assisting families
ECAC helps parents navigate the special education system, know their rights, and use their voice. We provide information, support, training and resources to assist families caring for children with special needs from birth to age 26. We also support young adults with disabilities in becoming self-advocates and leaders and the educators and professionals who serve them.
As parents of special needs children, we understand.
Providing connections for support
ECAC staff are not lawyers and we not do we have the answer to every question that families have regarding their child’s success. We can provide connections to community and state resources that can support families.

Our history

ECAC is a nonprofit organization created in 1984 by Connie Hawkins and Frank Graziadei, two parents with children with special needs. With the help of Richard White, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, they wrote North Carolina’s first grant to fund the Parent Training and Information Center (PTI). Their experience as parents of children with disabilities, compelled them to help find support for other families of children with special needs.
Connie Hawkins was both ECAC’s founder and Executive Director for 34 years. Frank Graziadei, has returned as a Board Member. Both Connie and Frank are still advocating for a free and appropriate education for ALL children with a special focus on child with disabilities.
Continuing to grow our services
Learn more and get started!
Meet our energetic team
Get to know our dedicated team members—committed to empowering families and improving lives!
Find resources for parents and families
We realize that navigating the special education process can be both challenging and frustrating. We can help.
Discover resources and education
Through our Parent Training and Information (PTI) Center, we offer numerous resources from disability-specific to family support.