The Public Schools of North Carolina, Exceptional Children Division has a stated mission to ensure that students with disabilities develop intellectually, physically, emotionally, and vocationally through the provision of an appropriate individualized education program in the least restrictive environment. The Division provides local educational agencies detailed procedures for delivery of special education services through rules and regulations outlined in Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities. 

Services are provided in the following areas of eligibility:

• Autism

• Serious Emotionally Disabled

• Deaf

• Deaf-Blind

• Hearing Impaired

• Intellectually Disabled

• Multi-Handicapped

• Orthopedically Impaired

• Other Health Impaired

• Specific Learning Disabled

• Speech-Language-Impaired

• Traumatic Brain Injured

• Visually Impaired

• Developmentally Delayed

*Preschool children with disabilities include all three and four year old children and those five year old children who are ineligible for kindergarten and who because of permanent or temporary cognitive communication, social/emotional and/or adaptive disabilities are unable to have all of their developmental needs met in a natural environment without special education and related services. Preschool children with disabilities become eligible for services upon reaching their third birthday.