Resources

Disability Podcasts:

The Accessible Stall Podcast: Hosted by Kyle Khachadurian and Emily Ladau. The podcast shows Kyle and Emily dealing with their own versions of disabilities. One of the best aspects of this podcast is that they don’t always agree, which showcases the variety of opinions that exist within the disability community and makes for informative and entertaining episodes.

Disability After Dark: Hosted by Disability Awareness Consultant Andrew Gurza. This is a podcast that looks at disability stories that we don’t typically talk about. This podcast feels like like sitting down with a really close friend and having really deep conversations about disability, sexuality, and the things about being disabled that are normally kept in the dark.

Disability Download: The Disability Download is hosted by pan-disability charity Leonard Cheshire. Featuring a long list of guests telling their own stories. This podcast touches on up-to-date issues and reacts to recent news and change within the disability community.

Disability Matters: Hosted by Joyce Bender, CEO of Bender Consulting Services and an executive board member and secretary for the American Association of People with Disabilities. Employment and empowerment for people with disabilities is the emphasis of this podcast. Broadcast live weekly with captions for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. They discuss how people with disabilities can secure career opportunities, and how employers, organizations and individuals can support employment and empowerment of people with disabilities.

Disability Visibility: Podcast hosted by Alice Wong, a well-known disability activist. She’s the founder of the Disability Visibility project, which catalogs and maintains stories of those living with disabilities in the US. Wong was also a presidential appointee to the National Council on Disability. Disability Visibility is a bi-monthly podcast, and transcripts are available for those with auditory disabilities.

OUCH by BBC: Ouch is hosted by Kate Monagham, Simon Minty, and other guests at BBC. They tackle topics that are close to home and extremely relatable. Podcasts range from short bite sized episodes to hour-long discussions about heavy-hitting daily life struggles and obstacles. They offer very real and honest takes on life with disabilities and have wonderful first-hand experiences that make this podcast a must listen.

Support, Advocacy and Research Organizations:

AbleGamers is a non-profit organization built on working with video game companies to ensure that games are made accessible to everyone. Their mission is to combat social isolation through the gaming world and give as many people as possible the ability to connect with video games.

American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization of professionals and citizens concerned about intellectual and developmental disabilities.

ANCOR: A nonprofit trade association representing private providers who provide supports and services to people with disabilities.

The Arc: A national organization with local branches committed to the welfare of all children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families.

Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is a network of interdisciplinary Centers advancing policy and practice for and with individuals with developmental and other disabilities, their families and communities.

The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: A national legal advocate for people with mental disabilities.

Center for Research on Women with Disabilities (CROWD) promotes, develops, and disseminates information to improve the health and expand the life choices of women with disabilities.

Cerebral Palsy Group provides free educational information and support, including diagnosis, to those who have been affected by cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities.

Cerebral Palsy Guide shares educational materials to families and individuals affected by cerebral palsy, including information about different therapies, treatment options, and financial resources.

Cerebral Palsy Guidance: This site provides vital guidance and assistance to parents of a child with cerebral palsy.

Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates is an independent, nonprofit organization of attorneys, advocates and parents with the mission to secure high quality educational services for children with disabilities.

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF) is a national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities through legislation, litigation, advocacy, technical assistance, and education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities.

Families USA is a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

Family Support Network unifies individuals with disabilities and their families advocates for funding, services, and community resources that strengthen and support the individual and the family directly by responding to their individual needs and empowering them to live in their own homes.

Family Village: A global community that integrates information, resources, and communication opportunities on the Internet for persons with cognitive and other disabilities, for their families, and for those that provide them services and support.

IDEA Partnership is dedicated to improving outcomes for students and youth with disabilities by joining state agencies and stakeholders through shared work and learning.

Inclusion Press creates person centered resource materials for training events, public schools, high schools, community colleges, universities, human service agencies, health organizations, government agencies, families, First Nations organizations – nationally and internationally.

Job Accommodation Network: A free consulting service designed to increase the employability of people with disabilities.

Medicare Solutions features links to a number of useful resources for students with disabilities and for teachers seeking access to resources that will help their students thrive.

National Down Syndrome Society: A comprehensive information source on Down Syndrome

National Down Syndrome Congress provides information, advocacy and support concerning all aspects of life for individuals with Down syndrome.

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) provides leadership and support for a comprehensive program of research related to the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities.

National Organization on DisAbility (NOD) raises disability awareness through programs and information.

National School Board Attorneys (NSBA) is a membership organization of 37 affiliate state councils, over 3,000 attorneys nationwide, who work to improve the practice of school law and prevent lawsuits against public schools.

The Pacer Center (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) expands opportunities and enhances the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.

Project ACTION (Accessible Community Transportation In Our Nation) offers an extensive collection of listings for the U.S., by state and city, of transit systems, accessible tour companies, airport transportation, hotel shuttles, taxi services, and vehicle rental agencies.

Rural Institute: Center for Excellence in Disability Education, Research, and Service is part of the national network of programs committed to increasing and supporting the independence, productivity, and inclusion of persons with disabilities into the community.

TASH is an international association of people with disabilities, their family members, other advocates, and professionals fighting for disability rights.

Teachers.Net Resource: For teachers in general, especially those interested in creating their own school or class web pages.

Training Resource Network offers resources on the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in their communities.

UCP United Cerebral Palsy: “Life without limits for people with disabilities”

The White House: A source for updates and more detailed information about policy issues.

World Institute on Disability: A nonprofit research, training and public policy center promoting the civil rights and the full societal inclusion ofpeople with disabilities.

Illinois Advocacy Organizations:

The Arc of Illinois: Committed to empowering persons with disabilities to achieve full participation in community life through informed choices.

Arc of Springfield SPARC provides residential, vocational, family support and respite support services to more than 1,100 infants, children, adults and seniors with developmental disabilities in 36 central Illinois counties. Sparc also provides literacy training, information and referral services, advocacy and community education programs.

Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois (CCDI) is a grassroots, advocacy organization that advocates equality for the disabled.

Great Lakes ADA & IT Center: A disability and business technical assistance center.

Illinois Council on Developmental Disability (ICDD) is dedicated to improving the lives of the disabled by focusing on education, employment, transportation, health care and community living.

Infinitec All Learners focuses on including students with disabilities in our schools and communities.

LaRabida Children’s Hospital is a hospital in Chicago dedicated to serving children with lifelong medical conditions, developmental disabilities and those who have been abused.

People First of Illinois is made up of groups of people with disabilities who are committed to empowering others with disabilities.

UCP of Greater Chicago: Dedicated to advancing the independence of people with disabilities, enriching their lives, providing support for their families, and advocating for their inclusion in every facet of community life.

UCP Land of Lincoln is committed to maximizing the independence and opportunities for full participation in the community for individuals with cerebral palsy or other disabilities and their families, by raising the standard for quality programs, services and advocacy.

University of Illinois at Chicago Center For Excellence In Developmental Disabilities is dedicated to the scholarly, interdisciplinary study of disability and related aspects of human development. It critically examines current and prospective disability policies, conceptual models, and intervention strategies in terms of their historical development and their present merits.

Disability and Public Policy:

The Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy (CSADP) provides public education, leadership development and training, technical assistance and information dissemination, and conducts action-research and analysis of public policy issues affecting individuals with disabilities and their families.

Federal Grant Opportunities allows organizations to electronically find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies.

National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) is a national organization for Developmental Disabilities Councils, agencies appointed by governors to represent and advocate for people with developmental disabilities.

National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (NAPAS) promotes equality for the disabled by providing and strengthening quality legally based advocacy services for their members.

National Council on Disability is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for all Americans with disabilities and their families.

U.S. Department of Justice ADA Information Site: Information to assist persons with disabilities and to help communities better serve such individuals

U.S. Library of Congress Thomas Information Service: Legislative information

Additional Resources:

ABLEDATA provides objective information about assistive technology products and rehabilitation equipment.

Apps for students with learning disabilities – organization and study.

Autism-Ready Libraries Toolkit – a compilation of resources created to build public libraries’ capacity to serve families with autistic children nationwide.

Best Mattress Reviews, a comprehensive guide to help increase awareness about disabilities and sleep including expert advice for on sleep products and bedroom setup for those with disability, curated resources for all of the five disability categories, caregiver resources and much more.

Boyer & Jackson: A Florida-based law firm specializes in providing clients with solutions to the personal and financial challenges of aging and disability, including adult trust funds. To find out more, please visit their website at http://www.boyerjackson.com/

Classroom Diversity: Cultivating and supporting diverse classrooms – educational resources and tips.

College Accessibility for Students with Disability: From TheBestColleges.org, provides easy access to scholarship resources with helpful information on how to apply.

Disability Movies: A resource of information on films that have been released with accessibility features and which feature characters with disabilities.

Disaboom: Disability Videos: Disaboom, the online disability community, has just launched a new disability video section, complete with videos on adaptive sports, people with disabilities living forward, stand-up comedy, how-to, health and wellness, and more.

Dealspotr: 60+ Discounts, Health Care Resources, and Helpful Programs for People with Disabilities.

EduBirdie: Scholarships and educational resources for student with mental health needs.

Entertainment Guide for Families of Children with Special Needs: An interactive entertainment guide that shows families with a special needs child the best places in each state for vacations, where their child’s needs will be accommodated. Parents can get free info, and they can also submit reviews of different places they visit, to help out other parents.

Ford Mobility Motoring Program offers financial assistance towards the cost of the installation of adaptive equipment on a new Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle.

Funding for Technology in Education: A source of information for anyone seeking funding for technology training in an educational setting.

Prentke Romich: Augmentative communication products

STABLE Account: Savings and investment solutions for people with disabilities.

Vision Center: Vision Center is an informational web guide created for those seeking eye surgery and other vision correction options.

Women Make Movies: a multicultural, multiracial, non-profit media arts organization which facilitates the production, promotion, distribution, and exhibition of independent films by and about women.